1abIo ot Contonta

7lt|o Pogo
Loolcotloo
lottoooctloo

Chaptor 1 - 1ho b|rth ot a Cub
Chaptor 2 - lt's tho lta||an th|ng
Chaptor 8 - 1ho shop on lark lano
Chaptor 4 - 1ho schoo| ot hard knocks
Chaptor b - Out ot 1ho 3hadows, |nto tho ||mo||ght
Chaptor 0 - Why don't you just g|vo mo tho t|ngor?
Chaptor 7 - A caroor hang|ng ott an oxtra th|n str|ng
Chaptor 8 - Voot|ng 3||| Ward and 1ho lost
Chaptor 0 - 1ob-hopp|ng |nto nowhoro
Chaptor 10 - |ow throo ango|s savod hoavy mota|
Chaptor 11 - 1h|ngs go horr|b|y south up north
Chaptor 12 - 0own to Earth
Chaptor 18 - A t||rt w|th 1u|| |n a lock 'n' lo|| C|rcus
Chaptor 14 - 1ho oar|y b|rds catch tho t|rst songs
Chaptor 1b - Earth to 3|ack 3abbath
Chaptor 10 - 3|ack 3abbath rocords 3|ack 3abbath
Chaptor 17 - low undor now managomont
Chaptor 18 - Gott|ng larano|d
Chaptor 10 - 3abbath, Zoppo||n and lurp|o
Chaptor 20 - 1h|s |s Amor|ca?
Chaptor 21 - |appy b|rthday w|tchos to you
Chaptor 22 - Ozzy's shockors
Chaptor 28 - An Ant|podoan murdor mystory
Chaptor 24 - ||y|ng t|sh
Chaptor 2b - lumbor 8, Vastor ot loa||ty
Chaptor 20 - lo, roa||y, |t's too much . . .
Chaptor 27 - Wh|to ||nos and wh|to su|ts
Chaptor 28 - A|r E|v|s
Chaptor 20 - Go|ng 3nowb||nd
Chaptor 80 - 1h|s |s your capta|n troak|ng . . .
Chaptor 81 - A rathor wh|to wodd|ng
Chaptor 82 - Go|ng to tho b|g houso
Chaptor 88 - Ono aga|nst naturo
Chaptor 84 - 1ho wo|| runs dry
Chaptor 8b - 3abbath 3|oody 3abbath
Chaptor 80 - 1ho Ca||torn|a 1am
Chaptor 87 - Whoro d|d a|| tho monoy go?
Chaptor 88 - Evoryth|ng's bo|ng 3abotagod!
Chaptor 80 - 3ru|sor |n a boozor
Chaptor 40 - Vo on Ecstasy
Chaptor 41 - Ecstasy on tour
Chaptor 42 - Wo lovor 3ay 0|o
Chaptor 48 - Ozzy goos
Chaptor 44 - 3usan's 3cott|sh soct
Chaptor 4b - 0|o doos but 0on don't
Chaptor 40 - 3||| goos to sh|ts
Chaptor 47 - |oavon and |o||
Chaptor 48 - lgn|t|on
Chaptor 40 - v|nny says A|oha
Chaptor b0 - Gott|ng 3|ack and 3|uo
Chaptor b1 - Vo||nda
Chaptor b2 - |r|onds torovor
Chaptor b8 - 1ho Vob lu|os
Chaptor b4 - 1ho Vob tours
Chaptor bb - A Vunstor |n tho m|x
Chaptor b0 - 1o 1ho Vanor 3orn Aga|n
Chaptor b7 - 3|zo mattors
Chaptor b8 - last man stand|ng
Chaptor b0 - 1ho mystor|ous caso ot tho |otty |odgors
Chaptor 00 - lovo|y l|ta
Chaptor 01 - 1ogothor aga|n, tor a day
Chaptor 02 - 1w|nk|o tw|nk|o 3ovonth 3tar
Chaptor 08 - G|onn ta||s, but thoro |s a lay ot hopo
Chaptor 04 - 1ho quost tor 1ho Etorna| ldo|
Chaptor 0b - 1axman!
Chaptor 00 - |oad|oss but happy
Chaptor 07 - Oh no, not cav|ar aga|n!
Chaptor 08 - 1Yl and t|rod
Chaptor 00 - lt's |oavon and |o|| aga|n
Chaptor 70 - 3ound and shack|od
Chaptor 71 - ln harmony w|th Cross lurposos
Chaptor 72 - 1ho ono that shou|d'vo boon |orb|ddon
Chaptor 78 - ||y|ng so|o w|th G|onn |ughos
Chaptor 74 - l|v|ng apart togothor
Chaptor 7b - 1ho |ovo ot my ||to
Chaptor 70 - loun|on
Chaptor 77 - Cozy's crash
Chaptor 78 - 3|||, v|nny, and 3||| and v|nny
Chaptor 70 - 3o|ch|ng attor a Woon|o loast
Chaptor 80 - lomm|, tho a|bum
Chaptor 81 - An aud|onco w|th tho Ouoon
Chaptor 82 - |ats ott to lob |a|tord
Chaptor 88 - |usod w|th G|onn aga|n
Chaptor 84 - Entor|ng tho |a||s ot |amo
Chaptor 8b - 1h|s |s tor poaco
Chaptor 80 - |oavon and |o||, tour and band
Chaptor 87 - 1ho 0ov|| You Know
Chaptor 88 - |arowo|| to a doar tr|ond
Chaptor 80 - lot a r|ght-hand man
Chaptor 00 - A good p|aco

Ackoow|oogmoots
looox
Copytlgbt Pogo
l ooolcoto tbls book to Votlo, my wlo ooo soo|moto.
Vy ooogbtot 7ool, ot bolog tbo bost ooogbtot
ooy moo coo|o ovot bovo.
Vy |oto Vom ooo Loo, ot glvlog mo |lo.
|ntroduction:
1ho 5ound ot Eoavy NotaI
lt was 100b, l was sovontoon yoars o|d, and |t was my vory |ast day on tho job. l'd dono a|| sorts
ot th|ngs s|nco |oav|ng schoo| at t|ttoon. l workod as a p|umbor tor throo or tour days. 1hon l
packod that |n. l workod as a troadm|||or, mak|ng r|ngs w|th a scrow that you put around rubbor
p|pos to c|oso thom up, but that cut up my hands. l got a job |n a mus|c shop, bocauso l was a
gu|tar|st and p|ayod |n |oca| bands, but thoy accusod mo ot stoa||ng. l d|dn't do |t, but to ho|| w|th
thom: thoy had mo c|oan|ng tho stororoom a|| day anyway. l was work|ng as a wo|dor at a shoot-
mota| tactory whon l got my b|g broak: my now band, 1ho 3|rds 8 1ho 3oos, woro bookod tor a
tour ot Europo. l hadn't actua||y p|ayod ||vo w|th 1ho 3|rds 8 1ho 3oos, m|nd you, l'd just
aud|t|onod attor my prov|ous band, 1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots, had hootod out tho|r rhythm gu|tar|st
and subsoquont|y brokon up. 1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots had boon my t|rst broak. Wo woro
match|ng rod |amo su|ts and p|ayod o|d rock 'n' ro|| ||ko Chuck 3orry and 3uddy |o||y. Wo woro
popu|ar around my homotown ot 3|rm|ngham, and p|ayod rogu|ar g|gs. l ovon got my t|rst
sor|ous g|r|tr|ond out ot that band, Vargaroth Vorod|th, tho s|stor ot tho or|g|na| gu|tar|st.
1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots woro tun, but p|ay|ng |n Europo w|th 1ho 3|rds 8 1ho 3oos, that was a
roa| protoss|ona| turn. 3o l wont homo tor |unch on |r|day, my |ast day as a wo|dor, and sa|d to
my mum: 'l'm not go|ng back. l'm t|n|shod w|th that job.'
3ut sho |ns|stod: 'lomm|s don't qu|t. You want to go back and t|n|sh tho day ott, t|n|sh |t
propor!'
3o l d|d. l wont back to work. 1horo was a |ady noxt to mo on tho ||no who bont p|ocos ot mota|
on a mach|no, thon sont tho p|ocos down to mo to wo|d togothor. 1hat was my job. 3ut tho
woman d|dn't como |n that day, so thoy put mo on hor mach|no. lt was a b|g gu|||ot|no pross w|th
a wobb|y toot poda|. You'd pu|| a shoot ot mota| |n and put your toot on tho poda| and, bang, a
g|ant |ndustr|a| pross wou|d s|am down and bond tho mota|.
l'd novor usod tho th|ng botoro, but th|ngs wont a|| r|ght unt|| l |ost concontrat|on tor a momont,
maybo droam|ng about bo|ng on stago |n Europo and, bang, tho pross s|ammod stra|ght down
on my r|ght hand. l pu||od my hand back as a rot|ox and tho b|oody pross pu||od tho onds ott my
two m|dd|o t|ngors. l |ookod down and tho bonos woro st|ck|ng out. 1hon l just saw b|ood go|ng
ovorywhoro.
1hoy took mo to hosp|ta|, sat mo down, put my hand |n a bag and torgot about mo. l thought l'd
b|ood to doath. Whon somoono thoughttu||y brought my t|ngort|ps to hosp|ta| (|n a matchbox) tho
doctors tr|od to gratt thom back on. 3ut |t was too |ato: thoy'd turnod b|ack. 3o |nstoad thoy took
sk|n trom ono ot my arms and grattod |t on to tho t|ps ot my woundod t|ngors. 1hoy t|dd|od
around a b|t moro to try to onsuro tho sk|n gratt wou|d tako, and that was |t: rock 'n' ro|| h|story
was mado.
Or that's what somo poop|o say, anyway. 1hoy crod|t tho |oss ot my t|ngors w|th tho doopor,
down-tunod sound ot 3|ack 3abbath, wh|ch |n turn bocamo tho tomp|ato tor most ot tho hoavy
mus|c croatod s|nco. l adm|t, |t hurt ||ko ho|| to p|ay gu|tar stra|ght on tho bonos ot my sovorod
t|ngors, and l had to ro|nvont my sty|o ot p|ay|ng to accommodato tho pa|n. ln tho procoss, 3|ack
3abbath startod to sound ||ko no band botoro |t - or s|nco, roa||y. 3ut croat|ng hoavy mota|
bocauso ot my t|ngors? Wo||, that's too b|oody much.
Attor a||, thoro's a |ot moro to tho story than that.
1
1ho birth ot a Cub
Ot courso, l wasn't born |nto hoavy mota|. As a mattor ot tact, |n my t|rst yoars l protorrod |co
croam - bocauso at tho t|mo my paronts ||vod ovor my grandtathor's |co croam shop: lomm|'s
lcos. Vy grandtathor and h|s w|to, who l ca||od lapa and lan, had movod trom lta|y to Eng|and,
|ook|ng tor a bottor tuturo by opon|ng an |co croam bus|noss ovor horo. lt was probab|y a ||tt|o
tactory, but to mo |t was hugo, a|| thoso b|g sta|n|oss stoo| barro|s |n wh|ch tho |co croam was
bo|ng churnod. lt was groat. l cou|d just go |n and ho|p myso|t. l'vo novor tastod anyth|ng that
good s|nco.
l was born on 1hursday 10 |obruary 1048 |n |oatht|o|d load |osp|ta|, just outs|do
3|rm|ngham c|ty contro, tho on|y ch||d ot Anthony |rank and 3y|v|o Var|a lomm|, noo va|ont|. Vy
mothor had boon |n hosp|ta| tor two months w|th toxaom|a botoro l appoarod, was th|s a s|gn ot
th|ngs to como sho m|ght havo to|t! Vum was born |n la|ormo, |n lta|y, ono ot throo ch||dron, to a
tam||y ot v|noyard ownors. l novor know my mum's mothor. |or tathor usod to como to tho houso
onco a wook, but whon you'ro young you don't hang around s|tt|ng thoro w|th tho o|d to|ks, so l
novor know h|m that wo||.
lapa on tho othor hand was vory good naturod and gonorous and as wo|| as g|v|ng monoy to
ho|p tho |oca| k|ds ho'd a|ways hand mo ha|t a crown whon l camo to soo h|m. And somo |co
croam. And sa|am|. And pasta. 3o you can |mag|no l |ovod v|s|t|ng h|m. |o was a|so vory
ro||g|ous. |o wont to church a|| tho t|mo and ho sont t|owors and supp||os ovor thoro ovory wook.
l th|nk my nan was trom 3raz||. Vy tathor was born horo. |o had t|vo brothors and two s|stors.
Vy paronts woro Catho||c, but l'vo on|y soon thom go to church onco or tw|co. lt's strango that my
dad wasn't as ro||g|ous as h|s tathor, but ho was probab|y ||ko mo. l hard|y ovor go to church
o|thor. l wou|dn't ovon know what to do thoro. l actua||y do bo||ovo |n a God, but l don't go to
church to pross tho po|nt.
Vy paronts workod |n a shop that lapa had g|von thom as a wodd|ng prosont, |n Card|gan
3troot |n 3|rm|ngham's lta||an quartor. As wo|| as tho |co-croam tactory, lapa ownod othor
shops and ho usod to havo a t|oot ot mob||o bak|ng mach|nos. 1hoy'd go |nto town, sot up and
so|| bakod potatoos and chostnuts, whatovor was |n soason. Vy dad was a|so a carpontor and a
vory good ono at that, ho mado a|| our turn|turo.
Whon l was about t|vo or s|x wo movod away trom |co-croam hoavon to a p|aco |n 3onnotts
load, |n an aroa ca||od Washwood |oath, wh|ch |s part ot 3a|t|oy, wh|ch |n turn |s a part ot
3|rm|ngham. Wo had a t|ny ||v|ng room w|th a sta|rcaso go|ng up to tho bodroom. Ono ot my
oar||ost momor|os |s ot my mothor carry|ng mo down thoso stoop sta|rs. 3ho s||ppod and l wont
t|y|ng and, ot courso, |andod on my hoad. 1hat's probab|y why l am ||ko l am . . .
l was a|ways p|ay|ng w|th my |oad so|d|ors. l had a sot ot thoso and ||tt|o tanks and so on. As a
carpontor my dad was away a |ot, bu||d|ng Cho|tonham lacocourso. Whonovor ho camo back
homo ho'd br|ng mo somoth|ng, ||ko a voh|c|o, add|ng to tho co||oct|on.
Whon l was a k|d l was a|ways tr|ghtonod ot th|ngs, so l'd got undor tho b|ankot and sh|no a
||tt|o ||ght. l|ko a |ot ot k|ds do. Vy daughtor was tho samo. 1ust ||ko mo, sho cou|dn't s|oop
w|thout tho ||ght on, and wo'd havo to koop hor bodroom door opon. l|ko tathor, ||ko daughtor.
Ono ot tho roasons l grow a moustacho |n |ator yoars was bocauso ot what happonod to mo |n
3onnotts load ono day. 1horo was a guy up tho road who usod to co||oct groat b|g sp|dors. l
don't m|nd thom now, but l was vory much atra|d ot thom thon. l was o|ght or n|no at tho t|mo.
1h|s guy was ca||od 3obby lu|sanco, wh|ch |s tho r|ght namo tor h|m, and ho chasod mo w|th
ono ot h|s sp|dors onco. l was sh|tt|ng myso|t and runn|ng down th|s gravo| road whon l tr|ppod,
so a|| tho gravo| wont |nto my taco and a|ong my ||p. 1ho scar |s st||| thoro now. 1ho k|ds ovon
startod ca|||ng mo 3cartaco, so l got a torr|b|o comp|ox about that.
l d|d havo anothor scar thoro as wo||, bocauso not |ong attor tho sp|dor th|ng somobody throw
a t|rowork, ono ot thoso spark|ors, and |t wont stra|ght up my taco. Ovor tho yoars tho scars
d|sappoarod, but tho ono on my ||p st||| stuck out whon l was young, so as soon as l cou|d l grow
a moustacho.
3t||| ||v|ng |n 3onnotts load l jo|nod tho Cubs. lt's ||ko tho 3couts. 1ho |doa was that you'd go
on tr|ps, but my paronts d|dn't want mo to go away. 1hoy woro vory protoct|vo ot mo. A|so thoso
tr|ps cost monoy and wo d|dn't havo that, thoy oarnod a p|ttanco |n thoso days. l d|d woar a
Cubs un|torm: ||tt|o shorts and tho ||tt|o th|ng ovor tho socks, a cap and a t|o. 3o l |ookod ||ko a
youngor vors|on ot Angus Young.
W|th scars.
2
|t'a tho |taIian thing
l d|d got somo omot|ona| scars as wo||. l know 0ad d|dn't want mo, l was an acc|dont. l ovon
hoard h|m say th|s |n ono ot h|s scroam|ng moods: 'l novor wantod you anyway!'
And thoro was a |ot ot scroam|ng, bocauso my paronts usod to t|ght a |ot. |o'd |oso h|s
tompor and Vum'd |oso hors, bocauso w|th h|m tho lta||an th|ng wou|d como out and sho was
vory w||d anyway and sho'd go potty. 1hoy'd grab oach othor's ha|r and roa||y sor|ous|y t|ght.
Whon wo ||vod |n 3onnotts load l actua||y saw my mothor h|t 0ad w|th a bott|o and h|m grabb|ng
hor hand try|ng to dotond h|mso|t. lt was b|oody awtu|, but tho noxt day thoy'd bo ta|k|ng away ||ko
noth|ng had happonod. loa||y pocu||ar.
l romombor thom t|ght|ng w|th tho noxt-door no|ghbours as wo||. Vum was |n tho backyard and
thoro was a woodon tonco botwoon us and tho no|ghbours. Apparont|y ono ot thom sa|d
somoth|ng bad about our tam||y and mothor wont |nto a rago. l |ookod out ot my bodroom
w|ndow and l saw hor hang|ng ovor tho tonco h|tt|ng tho no|ghbour |ady ovor tho hoad w|th a
broom. And thon 0ad got |nvo|vod and so d|d tho woman's husband and |t was a t|ght ovor tho
tonco unt|| tho tonco camo down. l saw thom scroam|ng and shout|ng and h|tt|ng oach othor and l
just stood thoro, |ook|ng out ot my t|rst-t|oor w|ndow, cry|ng.
lt l d|d anyth|ng wrong l wou|d cop tho brunt ot |t as wo||. l was tr|ghtonod to do anyth|ng, a|ways
atra|d ot gott|ng boaton up. 3ut that's how |t was |n thoso days. lt happonod w|th a |ot ot tam|||os,
poop|o t|ght|ng and gott|ng h|t. lt probab|y st||| |s that way. 0ad and mo d|dn't got on that wo||
whon l was young. l was tho k|d who was novor go|ng to do any good. lt was a|ways: 'Oh, you
havon't got a job ||ko so-and-so has got. |o |s go|ng to bo an accountant and what aro you
go|ng to do?'
l was bo||tt|od by h|m a|| tho t|mo, and thon Vum jo|nod |n as wo||: 'Yoah, ho's got to got a
b|oody job or ho's out!'
lt |s ono ot tho roasons l wantod to bo succosstu|, |t on|y to show thom.
Grow|ng up and gott|ng o|dor, thoro camo a po|nt whoro l wou|d not accopt gott|ng c||ppod
around tho oarho|o any moro. Ono t|mo l was on tho couch and 0ad was h|tt|ng mo, and l
grabbod h|s hands and stoppod h|m. |o wont mad, a|most to tho po|nt ot cry|ng: 'You don't do
that to mo!'
1hat was awtu|. 3ut ho novor h|t mo aga|n.
l must havo boon n|no or ton whon l saw my grandtathor d|o. |o was at homo, vory |||, whon ho
wont unconsc|ous. |o was |n bod and my job was to watch h|m to soo |t ho camo round. l'd s|t
thoro, mopp|ng h|s taco, and 0ad wou|d pop |n now and aga|n. 3ut l was a|ono w|th h|m whon ho
got tho 'doath ratt|o'. |o mado th|s chok|ng, gurg||ng sound and thon ho d|od. l to|t roa||y sad but
|t was a|so tr|ghton|ng. l saw tho tam||y com|ng |n and out and thoy a|| soomod a b|t atra|d as
wo||.
l'vo soon ono or two poop|o d|o s|nco thon. About twonty-t|vo yoars ago th|s o|d |ady, vory wo||
drossod and vory wo|| spokon, ||vod across tho road trom mo. 3ho wont by a n|cknamo, 3ud,
ovon hor daughtor ca||od hor that. l wont ovor thoro onco a wook to soo hor and thon sho'd say:
'Oh, you know, |ot's havo a brandy.'
Ono day hor daughtor camo rush|ng ovor to my houso, scroam|ng: 'Ou|ck, como ovor, como
ovor!'
l wont ovor and tound 3ud passod out on tho t|oor. l ||ttod hor up a b|t, took hor |n my arms and
l shoutod: 'Ca|| an ambu|anco!'
|or daughtor ran ott, and at that momont 3ud d|od, r|ght thoro |n my arms. lt was tho samo
th|ng: tho chok|ng, gurg||ng sound and . . . bang. As soon as that happonod, |t brought mo
|mmod|ato|y back to my grandtathor.
l sat thoro w|th hor unt|| tho ambu|anco showod up. Attor that l cou|d smo|| hor portumo
ovorywhoro and l cou|d novor smo|| that portumo aga|n. |or mo |t had turnod |nto tho smo|| ot
doath.
8
1ho aho on Park Lano
Whon l was about ton wo movod to lark lano |n Aston. lt was an awtu|, gang-|ntostod, rough
part ot 3|rm|ngham. Vy paronts bought a swoot shop thoro, but soon thoy a|so so|d tru|t and
vogotab|os, t|rowood, cannod toods, a|| sorts ot stutt. Wo'd got poop|o knock|ng on our door |n
tho m|dd|o ot tho n|ght: 'Can wo buy somo c|garottos?'
W|th a shop ||ko that, you bas|ca||y novor c|osod.
1ho shop had ovoryth|ng poop|o noodod, but |t a|so turnod |nto a moot|ng p|aco. 3omo ot tho
no|ghbours wou|d a|ways bo on tho stop, goss|p|ng away: '|avo you soon so-and-so down tho
road, ooh, sho's woar|ng a now . . .'
Et cotora. 3omot|mos thoy wou|dn't ovon buy anyth|ng and stand thoro tor hours, ta|k|ng. And
Vum wou|d bo boh|nd tho countor, ||ston|ng.
Vy mothor ran tho shop, bocauso 0ad workod at tho V|d|ands County 0a|ry, |oad|ng tho
trucks w|th m||k. |o noodod to do that to supp|omont tho tam||y |ncomo, but l a|so th|nk ho d|d |t
bocauso thoro ho was around poop|o ho ||kod. lator on ho bought a socond shop |n v|ctor|a
load, a|so |n Aston, whoro ho startod so|||ng tru|t and vogotab|os.
Vy paronts ||kod Aston, but l d|dn't. l hatod ||v|ng |n tho shop bocauso |t was damp and co|d. lt
was on|y a two-bodroom houso, w|th tho |oungo downsta|rs, a k|tchon and thon, outs|do |n tho
backyard, tho to||ot. You cou|dn't br|ng tr|onds thoro, bocauso our ||v|ng room doub|od as tho
stockroom: |t was t|||od w|th boans and poas and a|| tho t|nnod stutt. 1hat's how wo ||vod. You
woro surroundod by b|oody boxos and sh|t a|| tho t|mo.
ln our no|ghbourhood wo woro tho t|rst to havo a to|ophono, a groat |uxury |n thoso days, but
whoro tho th|ng was a|| dopondod on whothor wo'd had a do||vory. lt was o|thor down horo on top
ot a box, or |t wo'd had a |ot ot supp||os |t wou|d bo up thoro somowhoro.
'Whoro's tho phono?'
'Oh, |t's up thoro.'
lt was just a vory sma|| room. Wo had a couch and a to||y, and boh|nd th|s |t was a|| boans and
t|ns ot tru|t and ovoryth|ng.
And tho phono.
3omowhoro.
l d|d havo my own room unt|| l was torcod to sharo |t w|th |rank|o. |o was a |odgor, but my
paronts troatod h|m ||ko a son. lt was vory strango to mo whon ho t|rst camo |nto tho houso,
bocauso thoy sa|d: 'Wo||, th|s |s go|ng to bo your now . . . brothor. |rank|o |s go|ng to bo ||ko a
brothor to you.'
lt was roa||y pocu||ar. lt was ||ko somobody was com|ng |n and tak|ng ovor, bocauso thoy gavo
h|m moro attont|on than mo and l rosontod that. l must havo boon about o|ovon at tho t|mo and
ho was about throo or tour yoars o|dor. l ||kod h|m bocauso ho usod to buy mo stutt, but at tho
samo t|mo l d|dn't bocauso l had to sharo my room w|th h|m. |o ||vod w|th us tor yoars and
yoars. And |t was mo who t|na||y got r|d ot h|m.
At tho t|mo l was maybo sovontoon, but l know moro about g|r|s than |rank|o d|d, bocauso ho
just stayod at homo a|| tho t|mo. Whon ho camo w|th mo to ono ot my g|gs, l |ntroducod h|m to
th|s g|r|. l d|dn't oxpoct h|m to got carr|od away ||ko ho d|d, but ho was comp|oto|y takon ovor w|th
hor. 1o h|m, t|na||y moot|ng somobody was ||ko . . . 'Ahhh!'
0ad wasn't p|oasod. |o sa|d: '3ho's tho wrong typo ot woman!'
3ut |rank|o startod stay|ng ovor at hor houso and thon, ot courso, 0ad wou|d roa||y got tho
nood|o about h|m. As l bas|ca||y st|rrod |t a|| up by |ntroduc|ng thom to oach othor, l got tho
b|amo. |a|t ot mo thought, groat, wo'|| bo ab|o to got r|d ot h|m now, and tho othor ha|t to|t sorry
tor h|m.
Evontua||y ho movod |n w|th hor. Vaybo 0ad wont a ||tt|o too tar and |rank|o |ott on bad torms.
|o d|dn't stay |n touch w|th my tam||y. |o wont and that was |t.
lovor soon h|m s|nco.
4
1ho achooI ot hard knocka
l wont to tho 3|rcht|o|d load 3choo|, a 'socondary modorn schoo|' as |t was ca||od. You wont
thoro trom about tho ago ot ton onwards, unt|| you woro t|ttoon yoars o|d, and thon you |ott. 1ho
schoo| was about tour m||os trom our houso. 1horo was a bus that wont thoro, but |t was otton
tu||. And |t cost a ponny, so l savod that by wa|k|ng.
l mot my o|dost tr|ond, A|bort, at that schoo|. And Ozzy, who was a yoar boh|nd us. A|bort ||vod
c|oso to 3|rcht|o|d load. l rogu|ar|y wont ovor to h|s p|aco tor |unch and ot courso ho camo down
to my houso occas|ona||y. 1hat was about tho oxtont ot my soc|a| ||to |n thoso oar|y yoars,
bocauso l d|dn't go out that much. Vy paronts wou|dn't a||ow |t. 1hoy woro ta|r|y str|ct and
ovorprotoct|vo, and thoy woro conv|ncod l was go|ng to do somoth|ng wrong |t l d|d go out:
'0on't you go br|ng|ng any troub|o back horo!'
3o l was stuck |n my room most ot tho t|mo. And to th|s day |t doosn't bothor mo to bo a|ono. l
||ko to bo w|th poop|o but |t doosn't bothor mo |t l'm not.
Vy paronts d|d havo somo causo tor concorn. Our shop |ookod out on throo or tour 'torracod
housos' - wh|ch moans thoy woro a|| stuck togothor - across tho road, but noxt to thoso was a
b|g spaco tu|| ot noth|ng but rubb|o. Whothor |t was a 3ocond Wor|d War bomb that had causod
that l don't know, |t m|ght just havo boon a houso that had boon knockod down, but wo ca||od |t
tho 'bombod bu||d|ngs'. lt was that aroa whoro tho gangs congrogatod. You cou|d bo wa|k|ng
down tho road and got tho sh|t k|ckod out ot you or ovon stabbod by thoso gangs. And |t you
wa|kod a |ot, ||ko l d|d, you woro a pr|mo targot. 3o l startod oxorc|s|ng, do|ng wo|ghts and stutt,
bocauso l wantod to bo ab|o to protoct myso|t. l startod go|ng to judo and karato and t|na||y l got
|nto box|ng. l d|d |t |n|t|a||y bocauso l d|dn't want to bo p|ckod on, but l roa||y got |nto |t.
At schoo| A|bort and mo had our own ||tt|o gang, just tho two ot us. Wo had thoso |oathor
jackots w|th tho words '1ho Commanch|os' wr|tton on tho back. 1hat was us: 1ho
Commanch|os. 1ho schoo| tr|od to stop us woar|ng thoso jackots, but l d|dn't havo any othor
c|othos. lot that l wou|d havo wantod to woar |t anyway, but my paronts s|mp|y cou|dn't attord to
buy mo a b|oody schoo| un|torm. A|| l had was a pa|r ot joans and that |oathor jackot.
W|th mo work|ng out and A|bort bo|ng a b|g guy as wo||, wo bocamo cocks ot tho wa|k at
schoo|. lobody mossod w|th us, bocauso thoy know that wo'd boat thom up. Evon tho o|dor k|ds
|ott us a|ono. 1hat schoo| was tota||y tunct|on|ng on v|o|onco. loop|o had boon stabbod thoro
and l ovon carr|od a kn|to tor a b|t. lt's not that l ||kod v|o|onco, |t's just how you ||vod |n thoso
days. At schoo|, |t you d|dn't got ono |n t|rst somoono wou|d got you. 1hat's why l ondod up
t|ght|ng a|| tho b|oody t|mo.
Whoro wo had tho shop thoro was tho Aston gang, and thoy wantod mo to jo|n. l was around
two|vo or th|rtoon at tho t|mo. l wont ovor to tho|r bombod bu||d|ng s|to a coup|o ot t|mos, but l just
d|dn't assoc|ato w|th tho gang |n tho ond. A coup|o ot thom n|ckod th|ngs trom our shop, so |t
d|dn't mako sonso to hook up w|th thom. l ovon caught ono ot thoso gang mombors th|ov|ng |n
tho shop ono day and l ran out to c|obbor h|m. |o on|y ||vod a coup|o ot doors away. |o ran |nto
h|s houso and horo l was, k|ck|ng h|s tront door try|ng to got |n. 1hat's how you hand|od thoso
poop|o, w|th v|o|onco. 3ocauso you cou|dn't ta|k to thom.
1ho gang cou|d havo turnod on mo, but |t wasn't that bad bocauso l ||vod |n tho|r aroa. A|| thoy
woro on about anyway was t|ght|ng th|s othor gang trom anothor no|ghbourhood c|oso by.
3ocauso ot whoro l ||vod, th|s othor gang |ookod on mo as bo|ong|ng to tho Aston gang, l wasn't
part ot |t, but on tho othor hand l sort ot was.
A tow yoars |ator l had to wa|k through th|s othor no|ghbourhood to got to work. l usod to pass
th|s ono guy who was tho |oador ot th|s gang. ln tho morn|ng ho'd bo norma|, but com|ng back at
n|ght, whon ho had a|| h|s matos around h|m, ho'd bo a d|ttoront kott|o ot t|sh. 1ho tr|ck was to
got through botoro anybody camo out and saw you, |t was ||ko tho cannonba|| run. Ono n|ght l
d|dn't mako |t and got tho boat|ng ot a ||tot|mo. You had o|thor to dotond yourso|t or jo|n thom,
and l d|dn't want to jo|n thom.
l thought my th|ng wou|d bo somoth|ng to do w|th box|ng, l wou|d probab|y bocomo a bouncor
|n a c|ub or somoth|ng. And l usod to got thoso droams whoro l'd bo on stago |ook|ng out at tho
crowds. l novor qu|to know what |t was, l a|ways thought |t m|ght bo t|ght|ng, do|ng somo contact
sport |n tront ot an aud|onco. Ot courso, ovontua||y l ||vod |t and saw |t and l roa||sod, thoso aro
thoso droams l was hav|ng. 3ut |t's p|ay|ng tho gu|tar!
As l had no |ntorost |n schoo|, my grados woron't part|cu|ar|y good. Whonovor thoy ca||od my
paronts |nto schoo|, my mothor wou|d como homo attorwards and sco|d mo: 'Oh, |t's d|sgust|ng,
d|sgracotu|. What havo you boon up to now?'
l wasn't too bothorod about what tho toachors and tho hoadmastor thought ot mo, but l was
concornod about how my paronts wou|d roact. 1hoy hatod |t |t you got |n troub|o. 1hoy wou|d
worry about what tho no|ghbours wou|d th|nk. loop|o ta|kod. ln tho shop |t wou|d bo: 'Ooh, havo
you hoard what happonod to so-and-so down tho road? Ooh, tho po||co woro around thoro at
tho|r houso tho othor day . . .'
lt was a|| goss|p. Outs|do tho|r own road thoy d|dn't know what was go|ng on, but thoy wou|d
know ovoryth|ng about oach othor. 3o |t your grados woro bad, ovorybody wou|d know about |t.
At schoo| thoy usod to soparato A|bort and mo bocauso wo woro a nu|sanco. Wo'd o|thor bo
t||ck|ng somoth|ng at somobody or ta|k|ng or whatovor, so wo woro otton ojoctod trom c|ass.
You'd havo to stand outs|do tho c|assroom unt|| tho |ossons t|n|shod, and |t thoy sont us both out
thoy'd havo mo stand |n ono p|aco and A|bort somowhoro o|so. lt tho hoadmastor camo around
and saw you, you cou|d got canod. Or you had to stay ovor |ato, an hour attor schoo|, wh|ch
soomod ||ko an otorn|ty.
1ho hoadmastor o|thor canod you on your hand or ho mado you bond ovor and ho'd cano you
on tho backs|do w|th a st|ck or a s||ppor. Ono ot tho toachors ovon usod a b|g compass. Ot
courso k|ds put books down tho|r trousors, so thoy'd chock you t|rst. lt was ca||od 's|x ot tho
bost', wh|ch moant s|x strokos w|th th|s cano. 1hoy woro n|co onough to g|vo you a cho|co:
'Whoro do you want |t, on your backs|do or on your hand?'
1ho toachors who wou|d adm|n|stor th|s pun|shmont had to |og |t |n tho b|ack book. Evory t|mo
you got caught aga|n, thoy'd |ook |n tho book: 'You woro around horo on|y two days ago!'
l don't romombor many ot tho toachors. Vr low taught mus|c. l d|dn't roa||y |oarn anyth|ng trom
h|m, bocauso at schoo| tho |doa ot 'mus|c' was p|ay|ng tho rocordor. 1hat's a|| wo had, p|ay|ng
thoso b|oody th|ngs. And thoro was Vr W||||ams, tho maths toachor. |unny l shou|d romombor
h|m bocauso |t was tho ono |osson l was novor |n. l hatod maths and l usod to got borod sh|t|oss,
so l'd got sont out. 3omot|mos l wou|dn't ovon do anyth|ng, l'd wa|k |n and |t was stra|ght away:
'Out!'
Vad, roa||y. 3ut that's what happonod and that's tho way thoy d|d |t.
5
Out ot 1ho 5hadowa, into tho IimoIight
0ad and a|| h|s brothors p|ayod tho accord|on, so thoy woro qu|to a mus|ca| tam||y. What l roa||y
wantod was a sot ot drums. l obv|ous|y had no room to put thom |n and corta|n|y wou|dn't bo ab|o
to p|ay thom |n tho houso, so |t was tho accord|on or noth|ng. l startod p|ay|ng |t whon l was about
ton yoars o|d. l st||| havo a p|cturo ot mo as a k|d |n our backyard, ho|d|ng my b|oody accord|on.
Wo had a gramophono at homo, or a 'rad|ogram', as |t was ca||od. lt was a un|t w|th a rocord
p|ayor on |t, and two spoakors. And l usod to havo a ||tt|o rad|o. 3ocauso l was |n my room a |ot,
|t was o|thor ||ston to that or what do l do? Can't go and s|t |n tho |oungo, bocauso wo don't havo
ono. l'd ||ston to tho 1op 20 or lad|o luxombourg. 1hat's whoro my |ovo ot mus|c or|g|natod,
s|tt|ng |n my room and ||ston|ng to groat |nstrumonta| gu|tar bands ||ko 1ho 3hadows on my ||tt|o
rad|o. lt mado mo want to p|ay tho gu|tar as wo||. l roa||y |ovod that sound, |t was |nstrumonta| stutt
and l know: th|s |s what l want to do. 3o ovontua||y my mothor bought mo a gu|tar. 3ho was vory
good that way. 3ho workod hard and savod up tor |t. 3o|ng |ott-handod, you woro ||m|tod to what
you cou|d got, corta|n|y |n thoso days: 'A |ott-handod gu|tar, what's that?'
1horo was th|s o|octr|c Watk|ns lap|or that l saw |n a cata|oguo. lt cost somoth|ng ||ko 20,
and Vum pa|d |t ott |n wook|y |nsta|monts. Vy |ott-handod Watk|ns had two p|ck-ups and a
coup|o ot ||tt|o chromo so|octor sw|tchos that you'd push, and |t camo w|th a ||tt|o Watk|ns
Wostm|nstor amp. l sto|o ono ot tho spoakors trom our rad|ogram and put |t |n that amp, wh|ch
d|dn't go down vory wo||. 3ut |t hard|y mattorod, bocauso my paronts d|dn't p|ay mus|c that much
anyway.
3o thoro l was, w|th my t|rst ||tt|o k|t, p|ay|ng away |n my room. l'd ||ston to tho 1op 20 and wa|t
tor 1ho 3hadows to como on to tapo thom w|th a m|crophono on th|s o|d roo| to roo|, so l cou|d
try and |oarn tho|r songs. lator l'd got tho a|bum and |oarn tho songs trom p|ay|ng that ovor and
ovor. l'vo a|ways ||kod go|ng back to 1ho 3hadows, as l ||ko mo|od|os and tunos. And l'vo a|ways
tr|od to mako my gu|tar-p|ay|ng mo|od|c, as mus|c |s a|| about mo|ody. Vo try|ng to do that
comos trom thoso vory oar|y days. 1hat stayod w|th mo, |t has a|ways boon a part ot my
songwr|t|ng.
l ||kod 1ho 3oat|os, but 1ho 3hadows and C||tt l|chard woro moro basod on tho rock 'n' ro||
stutt than 1ho 3oat|os, so thoy woro moro my th|ng. Ot courso l ||kod E|v|s as wo||, but not as
much as C||tt and 1ho 3hadows. 1hoy woro |t tor mo. C||tt was b|ggor |n Eng|and than E|v|s was,
and that m|ght havo had somoth|ng to do w|th |t. l'vo mot C||tt a tow t|mos, but l novor sa|d to h|m:
'Oh, l was a b|g tan ot yours.'
Attor schoo| l'd s|t upsta|rs and p|ay my gu|tar tor a coup|o ot hours. l roa||y took to tho gu|tar
and pract|sod as much as l cou|d, but bands woron't |mmod|ato|y knock|ng on tho door ask|ng
mo to jo|n. 1hat's why my t|rst vonturo was w|th A|bort. |o was go|ng to bo tho s|ngor and l wou|d
tako caro ot tho mus|c. |o cou|dn't s|ng, but ho thought ho cou|d. ||s houso was rathor posh: |t
had two ||v|ng rooms. Wo'd bo |n tho tront room w|th mo and my amp p|ay|ng away and h|m
s|ng|ng, and you'd a|ways hoar h|s dad shout|ng trom tho othor room: '3hut that b|oody row up!
Can't you go somowhoro o|so?'
Wo on|y know ono song, wh|ch wo p|ayod ovor and ovor: '1ozobo|' by |rank|o la|no. Wo must
havo boon two|vo or th|rtoon yoars o|d thon, and A|bort usod to wa||: 'lt ovor tho dov|| was born,
w|thout a pa|r ot horns, |t was you, 1ozobo|, |t was you.'
3o that's roa||y what startod |t a||.
Attor that l hookod up w|th th|s p|ano p|ayor and h|s drummor. 1hoy woro a |ot o|dor than mo
and thoy askod mo |t l'd p|ay w|th thom |n th|s pub. l cou|dn't roa||y p|ay vory wo||, but thoy thought
l was groat. l on|y d|d that a coup|o ot t|mos. l was |ncrod|b|y norvous s|tt|ng |n w|th thoso guys,
but |t was just somoth|ng l wou|d do thon.
'3||moy, a g|g! ln a pub!'
l wasn't ovon o|d onough to bo |n a pub, but thoso woro tho t|rst g|gs l ovor d|d.
lon and 1oan Woodward ||vod a coup|o ot doors away trom our shop. lon v|s|tod us a |ot.
||m and 0ad wou|d bo chatt|ng and smok|ng away just about ovory n|ght. |o spont moro t|mo at
our houso than at h|s, and ho bocamo ||ko anothor adoptod son. |o was probab|y ton or t|ttoon
yoars o|dor than mo, but somohow l bocamo tr|onds w|th h|m. l ta|kod h|m |nto buy|ng a bass
gu|tar. |o startod to |oarn to p|ay |t and wo actua||y d|d a coup|o ot ||tt|o g|gs. And ovorybody was
go|ng: 'Wo||, ho's a b|t o|d, |sn't ho?'
l'd just say: '|o's my mato and ho wants to bo |n tho band.'
1hat's how |t was thon, your mato wou|d bo |n your band.
'Can ho p|ay?'
'Oh no, ho can't p|ay but ho's my mato!'
Wo had a rhythm gu|tar|st and a drummor p|ay|ng w|th us. Wo rohoarsod about throo t|mos a
wook at th|s youth c|ub. lt was groat. |rom p|dd||ng around by yourso|t |n your room to p|ay|ng
mus|c w|th othor poop|o was a tantast|c oxpor|onco. l|go|, tho rhythm gu|tar|st, was a b|t cocky.
Ono day ho was s|ng|ng and tho m|c suddon|y stuck to h|m, bocauso |t wasn't oarthod. |o wont
ro|||ng around on tho t|oor and got a bad o|octr|c shock. 3ocauso nobody ||kod h|m, wo a||
thought, |t sorvos you r|ght. 3ut |n tho ond wo d|d unp|ug h|m, so ho surv|vod. As a mattor ot tact,
ho was r|ght as ra|n attorwards, bottor than ovor |n tact. lt was ||ko |t had dono h|m good. 3ut ho
d|dn't |ast that |ong, and no|thor d|d that band.
l cou|dn't wa|t to |oavo schoo|. l d|dn't ||ko |t, and l don't th|nk |t ||kod mo vory much o|thor.
Evorybody |ott schoo| at t|ttoon, un|oss you stayod on and wont to a co||ogo. ||ttoon and that was
|t, you woro out. And so was l. lt was a groat ro||ot. l startod |ook|ng tor a job and l app||od myso|t
to p|ay|ng tho gu|tar ovon moro.
3ocauso l pract|sod a|| tho t|mo, l was gott|ng much bottor than poop|o ||ko lon Woodward,
so l jo|nod th|s othor band wh|ch l thought was vory good, 1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots. lt must havo
boon around 1004 so l was s|xtoon or so. 1o my m|nd thoy woro roa||y protoss|ona|. 1hoy cou|d
p|ay a|| 1ho 3hadows' songs portoct|y and, bocauso a coup|o ot tho guys woro o|dor than mo,
thoy a|so d|d a |ot ot rock 'n' ro||. l'd novor boon a b|g tan ot Chuck 3orry, Gono v|ncont or 3uddy
|o||y, but l now got |nto that mus|c as wo||.
1ho s|ngor, lo|| Vorr|s, was tho o|dost guy |n tho band. 1horo was a chap on bass ca||od
0avo Whadd|oy, tho drummor was ca||od lat logg and tho rhythm gu|tar p|ayor was A|an
Vorod|th. 1hat's whon l mot A|an's s|stor, Vargaroth. Wo woro ongagod to bo marr|od, actua||y.
Our ro|at|onsh|p wou|d |ast a |ot |ongor than 1ho Chovro|ots d|d.
l don't romombor how l got |nto th|s band. l probab|y saw an advort |n a mus|c shop w|ndow.
1hat was your ||to, you'd hang around a mus|c shop or you'd go to soo anothor band p|ay|ng and
you'd moot poop|o through that.
Vy paronts woro wary ot mo p|ay|ng w|th th|s band |n pubs. l ovon had to bo homo at a corta|n
t|mo, but attor a ||tt|o wh||o thoy woro okay w|th |t, a|so bocauso l brought somo monoy |n. 1ho
lock|n' Chovro|ots mado th|ngs oas|or tor mo as wo|| by moot|ng Vum t|rst. 1hoy camo down
and sho mado thom bacon sandw|chos. As sho d|d |n |ator yoars w|th 3|ack 3abbath, tho samo
th|ng: sho'd a|ways ask thom |t thoy wantod somoth|ng to oat. A|ways. 1hat's tho sort ot mothor
sho was.
1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots startod gott|ng a |ot ot work. Wo a|| had tho samo rod |amo su|ts, so
wo woro thoso at ovory g|g. l d|dn't roa||y havo any monoy to spond on a su|t, but you had to |ook
tho part. At tho wookond wo p|ayod |n pubs. Ono pub was |n a bad part ot 3|rm|ngham and
ovory b|oody t|mo wo p|ayod thoro'd bo a t|ght. Wo prov|dod tho soundtrack to tho|r t|ght|ng. Wo
a|so p|ayod tho odd wodd|ng, or wo'd ond up |n a b|oody soc|a| c|ub p|ay|ng to poop|o tw|co our
ago who wou|d go: 'Ooh, you'ro too |oud!'
3ocauso th|ngs woro gott|ng moro sor|ous, l wantod a bottor gu|tar. 3urns was ono ot tho tow
compan|os that mado |ott-handod gu|tars, so l bought mo ono ot thoso, a 3urns 1r|son|c. lt had a
contro| on |t w|th tho 'tr|son|c sound', whatovor that was. l on|y p|ayod |t unt|| l ovontua||y tound a
|ott-handod |ondor 3tratocastor. And l had a 3o|mor amp, w|th an ocho |n |t.
1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots broko up bocauso thoy k|ckod out A|an Vorod|th. Vy noxt b|g band
was go|ng to bo 1ho 3|rds 8 1ho 3oos. l aud|t|onod tor thom and got tho job. 1hoy woro
protoss|ona|, workod a |ot and woro ovon duo to go to Europo. l doc|dod to roa||y go tor |t, qu|t
my job and bocomo a protoss|ona| mus|c|an. l was work|ng as a wo|dor |n a tactory at tho t|mo. l
wont to work on tho |r|day morn|ng, my |ast day at tho job, and at |uncht|mo l to|d Vum l wasn't
go|ng back tor tho attornoon sh|tt. 3ut sho to|d mo l had to, and to t|n|sh tho job propor|y.
3o l d|d. l wont back to work.
And thon my who|o wor|d to|| apart.
0
Why don't you [uat givo mo tho tingor?
3o, as l sa|d, |t was my vory |ast day at work. 1horo was th|s |ady who bont p|ocos ot mota| on a
mach|no, and l thon wo|dod thom togothor. 3ocauso sho d|dn't como |n that day, thoy put mo on
hor mach|no, othorw|so l'd havo boon stand|ng around w|th noth|ng to do. l had novor workod |t,
so l d|dn't know how to go about |t. lt was a b|g gu|||ot|no pross w|th a toot poda|. You pu||od th|s
shoot |n and put your toot down on tho poda| and thon th|s th|ng camo down w|th a bang and
bont tho mota|.
1h|ngs wont a|| r|ght |n tho morn|ng. Attor l camo back trom my |unch broak, l pushod tho poda|
and tho pross camo stra|ght down on my r|ght hand. As l pu||od my hand back as a rot|ox l pu||od
tho onds ot my t|ngors ott. 3trotch your hand out thon ||no up your |ndox t|ngor and your ||tt|o
t|ngor and draw a ||no botwoon tho tops ot thom: |t's tho b|ts st|ck|ng out trom tho two t|ngors |n
tho m|dd|o that got choppod ott. 1ho bonos woro st|ck|ng out ot thom. l just cou|dn't bo||ovo |t.
1horo was b|ood ovorywhoro. l was so much |n shock |t d|dn't ovon hurt at t|rst.
1hoy took mo to hosp|ta|, and |nstoad ot do|ng somoth|ng to stop tho b|ood|ng thoy put my
hand |n a bag. lt qu|ck|y t|||od up and l thought, whon am l go|ng to got somo ho|p, l'm b|ood|ng to
doath horo!
A ||tt|o |ator somobody brought tho m|ss|ng b|ts to tho hosp|ta|, |n a matchbox. 1hoy woro a||
b|ack, comp|oto|y ru|nod, so thoy cou|dn't put thom back on. Evontua||y thoy cut sk|n trom my arm
and put |t ovor tho t|ps ot my |njurod t|ngors. 1ho na||s had como stra|ght ott. 1hoy put a b|t ot
board back |n ono ot thom so that tho na|| wou|d grow, thoy sk|n-grattod |t and that was |t.
1hon l just sat at homo mop|ng. l thought, that's |t, |t's ovor w|th! l cou|dn't bo||ovo my |uck. l had
just jo|nod a groat band, |t was my vory |ast day at work and l was cr|pp|od tor ||to. 1ho managor
ot tho tactory camo to soo mo a tow t|mos, an o|dor, ba|d|ng man w|th a th|n moustacho ca||od
3r|an. |o saw that l was roa||y doprossod, so ono day ho gavo mo th|s El and sa|d: 'lut th|s
on.'
l was go|ng: 'lo, l don't roa||y want to.'
|av|ng to ||ston to mus|c was corta|n|y not go|ng to choor mo up at that po|nt.
|o sa|d: 'Wo||, l th|nk you shou|d, bocauso l'|| to|| you a story. 1h|s guy p|ays gu|tar and ho on|y
p|ays w|th two t|ngors.'
lt was tho groat 3o|g|an-born gypsy jazz gu|tar|st 0jango lo|nhardt and, b|oody ho||, |t was
br||||ant! l thought, |t ho's dono |t l can havo a go at |t as wo||. lt was abso|uto|y groat ot 3r|an to
bo thoughttu| onough to buy mo th|s. W|thout h|m l don't know what wou|d havo happonod. Onco l
hoard that mus|c, l was dotorm|nod to do somoth|ng about |t |nstoad ot s|tt|ng thoro mop|ng.
l st||| had bandagos on my t|ngors and so l tr|od p|ay|ng w|th just my |ndox t|ngor and my ||tt|o
t|ngor. lt was vory trustrat|ng, bocauso onco you'vo p|ayod wo|| |t's hard to go backwards.
lrobab|y tho oas|ost th|ng wou|d havo boon to t||p tho gu|tar ups|do down and |oarn to p|ay r|ght-
handod |nstoad ot |ott-handod. l w|sh l had |n h|nds|ght, but l thought, wo||, l'vo boon p|ay|ng tor a
tow yoars a|roady, |t's go|ng to tako mo anothor tow yoars to |oarn |t that way. 1hat soomod ||ko
a vory |ong t|mo, so l was dotorm|nod to koop p|ay|ng |ott-handod. l porsovorod w|th two
bandagod-up t|ngors, ovon though tho doctors sa|d: '1ho bost th|ng tor you to do |s to pack up,
roa||y. Got anothor job, do somoth|ng o|so.'
3ut l thought, b|oody ho||, thoro has got to bo somoth|ng l can do.
Attor th|nk|ng th|ngs through tor a wh||o, l wondorod whothor l cou|d mako a cap to t|t ovor my
t|ngors. l got a |a|ry l|qu|d bott|o, mo|tod |t down, shapod |t |nto a ba|| and wa|tod unt|| |t coo|od
down. l thon mado a ho|o |n |t w|th a so|dor|ng |ron unt|| |t sort ot t|ttod ovor tho t|ngor. l shapod |t
a b|t moro w|th a kn|to and thon l got somo sandpapor and sat thoro tor hours sandpapor|ng |t
down to mako |t |nto a k|nd ot th|mb|o. l put |t on ono ot my t|ngors and tr|od to p|ay tho gu|tar w|th
|t, but |t d|dn't too| r|ght. 3ocauso |t was p|ast|c |t kopt s||pp|ng ott tho str|ng and l cou|d baro|y
touch |t, |t was so pa|ntu|. 3o l tr|od to th|nk ot somoth|ng l cou|d put ovor |t. l tr|od a p|oco ot
c|oth, but ot courso |t toro. l usod d|ttoront p|ocos ot |oathor, wh|ch a|so d|dn't work. 1hon l tound
th|s o|d jackot ot m|no and cut a p|oco ot |oathor ott |t. lt was o|d |oathor, so |t was a b|t toughor. l
cut |t |nto a shapo so that |t wou|d t|t ovor tho th|mb|o and g|uod |t on, |ott |t to dry and thon l tr|od
|t and l thought, b|oody ho||, l can actua||y touch tho str|ng w|th th|s now! l sandod down tho |oathor
a b|t too, but thon l had to rub |t on to a hard surtaco to mako |t sh|ny so |t wou|dn't gr|p too much.
lt had to bo just r|ght so you cou|d movo |t up and down tho str|ng.
Evon w|th tho th|mb|os on |t hurt. lt you |ook at my m|dd|o |ndox t|ngor, you w||| soo a ||tt|o bump
on tho ond ot |t. 1ust undornoath |t |s tho bono. l havo to bo carotu| bocauso somot|mos |t tho
th|mb|os como ott and |t l push hard on a str|ng, tho sk|n on tho t|ps ot my t|ngors just sp||ts r|ght
opon. 1ho t|rst onos l mado to|| ott a|| tho t|mo. And |t |s troub|o thon, ono ot tho road|os craw||ng
about tho stago, go|ng: 'Whoro tho ho|| has that gono?'
3o whon l go on stago l put surg|ca| tapo around my t|ngors, dab a ||tt|o b|t ot 3uporg|uo on
that and thon l push tho th|ngs on. And at tho ond ot tho day l havo to pu|| thom ott aga|n.
l'vo on|y |ost tho th|mb|os a coup|o ot t|mos. l v|rtua||y ||vo w|th tho b|oody th|ngs whon l'm on
tour. l koop thom w|th mo a|| tho t|mo. l'vo a|ways got a sparo sot and my gu|tar toch has ono as
wo||.
Go|ng through customs w|th thoso th|ngs |s anothor story. l havo tho th|mb|os |n a box and thoy
soarch your bag and go: 'Ah wo||, what's th|s? 0rugs?'
And thon, shock, |t's t|ngors. l'vo had to oxp|a|n |t to customs on sovora| occas|ons. And thoy
go: 'Whoah.'
lutt|ng my tako t|ngors away |n d|sgust.
lowadays tho poop|o at tho hosp|ta| mako tho th|mb|o tor my r|ng t|ngor. 1hoy actua||y mako
mo a prosthot|c ||mb, a comp|oto arm, and a|| l uso |s two ot |ts t|ngort|ps that l cut ott |t. l askod:
'Why don't you just do mo a t|ngor?'
'lo, |t's oas|or tor us to g|vo you a who|o arm.'
3o you can |mag|no what tho dustman th|nks whon ho t|nds an arm |n tho b|n. 1ho th|mb|os l
cut ott |t |ook ||ko roa| t|ngors, thoro's no |oathor on tho r|ng t|ngor ono, l can p|ay w|th tho mator|a|
|t's mado ot. 1hoy aro too sott somot|mos, so l |oavo thom out |n tho a|r tor a wh||o to hardon, or l
put a b|t ot 3uporg|uo on thom to g|vo thom tho r|ght too| aga|n. Othorw|so thoy gr|p tho str|ng too
much. lt's a procoss that takos agos.
1ho homo-mado th|mb|os usod to woar down, but thoso days tho cas|ng |asts, |t's on|y tho
|oathor that woars out. Each th|mb|o probab|y |asts a month, maybo ha|t a tour, and whon thoy
start woar|ng out l havo to go through tho who|o th|ng aga|n. l st||| uso tho samo p|oco ot jackot l
startod w|th a|| thoso torty-odd yoars ago. 1horo |sn't much ot |t |ott now, but |t shou|d |ast anothor
tow yoars.
lt's pr|m|t|vo, but |t works. You'vo o|thor got to pack |t |n, or you'vo got to t|ght and work w|th |t.
lt takos a |ot ot work. Vak|ng thom |s ono stago, but try|ng to p|ay w|th thom |s anothor. 3ocauso
you havo no too||ng. You'ro awaro ot th|s |ump on your t|ngors, so you roa||y havo to pract|so at |t
to got |t to work tor you.
lart ot my sound comos trom |oarn|ng to p|ay pr|mar||y w|th my two good t|ngors, tho |ndox
and tho ||tt|o t|ngor. l'|| |ay chords ||ko that and thon l put v|brato on thom. l uso tho choppod ott
t|ngors most|y tor so|o|ng. Whon l bond str|ngs l bond thom w|th my |ndox t|ngor and l |oarnod to
bond thom w|th my ||tt|o t|ngor. l can on|y bond thom w|th tho othor t|ngors to a |ossor oxtont.
3otoro tho acc|dont l d|dn't uso tho ||tt|o t|ngor at a||, so l had to |oarn to uso |t. l'm ||m|tod
bocauso ovon w|th tho th|mb|os thoro aro corta|n chords l w||| novor bo ab|o to p|ay. Whoro l
usod to p|ay a tu|| chord botoro tho acc|dont, l otton can't do thom now, so l componsato by
mak|ng |t sound tu||or. |or |nstanco, l'|| h|t tho E chord and tho E noto and put v|brato on |t to
mako |t sound b|ggor, so |t's mak|ng up tor that tu|| sound that l wou|d bo ab|o to p|ay |t l st||| had
tu|| uso ot a|| tho t|ngors. 1hat's how l dovo|opod a sty|o ot p|ay|ng that su|ts my phys|ca|
||m|tat|ons. lt's an unorthodox sty|o but |t works tor mo.
7
A caroor hanging ott an oxtra thin atring
3|nco l had my acc|dont, l'vo had to roth|nk tho who|o th|ng, trom tho th|mb|os to how l p|ay to tho
gu|tar |tso|t. l can't p|ck up any gu|tar and start p|ay|ng |t, |t has to havo tho r|ght str|ngs and has
to havo tho r|ght wo|ght ot str|ngs. l had a|| thoso prob|oms trom day ono. And |t was worso thon,
bocauso at tho t|mo thoro woro no compan|os mak|ng ||ght gaugo str|ngs. 1horo woro no
compan|os you cou|d t|nd to work on a gu|tar o|thor, so l had to do |t a|| myso|t.
l was st||| p|ay|ng a |ondor 3tratocastor at tho t|mo. l took that gu|tar apart count|oss t|mos,
try|ng to mako |t comtortab|o, t|||ng tho trots down, gott|ng tho str|ngs to tho r|ght ho|ght. As
opposod to norma| poop|o who st||| havo tho onds ot tho|r t|ngors, l can't too| how hard l'm
pross|ng down on my str|ng vory wo||. l tond to roa||y pross hard, bocauso |t l don't tho str|ng w|||
just t||ck ott. l noodod vory th|n str|ngs, bocauso bond|ng th|ck str|ngs was too hard tor mo.
1ho ||ghtost gaugo str|ngs you had at tho t|mo woro o|ovon or two|vo, thoy woro hoavy
bocauso |t was st||| |n tho sty|o ot tho popu|ar P|oy lo o Loy gu|tar tutor 3ort Woodon's th|ck
str|ngs. 1hat's what ovorybody had. 1hoy on|y mado ono sot ot str|ngs, ono corta|n gaugo. l was
tho t|rst to como up w|th tho |doa ot mak|ng ||ght str|ngs, s|mp|y bocauso l had to t|nd a way to
mako tho gu|tar oas|or tor mo to p|ay. 1ho hoavy str|ngs wou|d just r|p tho |oathor ott, l wou|dn't
havo tho strongth |n my t|ngors to bond tho str|ngs, and |t wou|d hurt. 1ho poop|o |n tho mus|c
shops wou|d say: 'You can't got any ||ghtor. 1hoso aro |t.'
And l wou|d say: 'Wo||, aro thoro any othor str|ngs that aro th|nnor?'
'lo, apart trom banjo str|ngs.'
'G|vo mo somo ot thoso thon.'
l usod tho two ||ghtost banjo str|ngs as tho 3 and tho h|gh E str|ngs on my gu|tar, wh|ch moant l
cou|d drop down tho gaugo on tho roma|n|ng gu|tar str|ngs to mako thom ||ghtor. 1h|s way l
managod to got r|d ot tho th|ck |ow E str|ng, us|ng an A str|ng |nstoad. And that workod tor mo.
Out ot nocoss|ty l had |nvontod tho ||ght gaugo str|ngs, comb|n|ng banjo and gu|tar str|ngs.
lt was tr|a| and orror tun|ng tho gu|tar, bocauso |t you tuno an A down to E, tho str|ng tonds to
ratt|o on tho trots. lt was an art tun|ng |t, and |t was an art p|ay|ng |t.
lator on, whon wo had our t|rst a|bum out and tho band was do|ng wo||, l wont to gu|tar str|ng
compan|os try|ng to porsuado thom to mako tho ||ghtor gaugo str|ngs. 1ho|r way ot th|nk|ng was
|ncrod|b|y consorvat|vo: 'Oh, you can't do that. 1hoy'|| novor work! 1hoy wou|d novor bo
harmon|ca||y r|ght.'
l sa|d: 'lubb|sh! lt doos! And l shou|d know, bocauso l uso thom!'
And thon thoy'd say: 'lobody's ovor go|ng to buy thom! Why wou|d anybody want that?'
1hoy woro a|| |n such agroomont about th|s that ovon l startod th|nk|ng: maybo thoy don't,
maybo |t's just mo who wants thom bocauso |t makos mo ab|o to p|ay and bond tho str|ngs.
Evontua||y tho poop|o at l|cato 3tr|ngs |n Wa|os sa|d: 'Yoah, wo'|| g|vo th|s a go.'
1h|s was |n 1070, maybo 1071. 1hoy mado tho t|rst sot ot ||ght gaugo str|ngs tor mo. 1hoy
workod, thoy woro groat and l usod thom tor many yoars. Ot courso, thon a|| tho othor compan|os
jumpod on tho bandwagon, gu|tar|sts a|| ovor tho wor|d startod us|ng thom and ||ght gaugo
str|ngs bocamo popu|ar. 3ut to th|s day poop|o st||| say: 'You won't got a tu|| sound.'
l'vo ovon workod w|th producors who havo to|d mo that l'|| nood to uso a sot ot th|ck str|ngs to
got a b|g sound.
Vy rosponso to that |s s|mp|o: 'l'vo novor usod a sot ot th|ck str|ngs and l do havo a b|g
sound.'
8
Nooting BiII Ward and 1ho Roat
Attor chopp|ng my t|ngors ott, |t took at |oast s|x months tor tho worst ot tho pa|n to woar ott and
to got go|ng aga|n. l a|ways to|t uncomtortab|o about |t and l a|ways h|d my hand. 1ho samo w|th
p|ay|ng: l usod to hato anybody soo|ng |t.
'What |s that on your t|ngors?'
l |ator hoard that somo poop|o actua||y thought |t |ookod coo|. 1horo was a gu|tar toachor |n
low York who taught poop|o how to p|ay my th|ngs, and ho had a pa|r ot th|mb|os mado. 1horo
was noth|ng wrong w|th h|s t|ngors, but ho was conv|ncod that thoso ho|pod you to p|ay.
Vy roturn to p|ay|ng |n a band camo whon l mot 3||| Ward. |o was |n 1ho lost and thoy a||
camo around to our shop. 1hoy woro try|ng to ta|k to mo about jo|n|ng thom wh||o poop|o woro
com|ng |n to bo sorvod. l sa|d: 'Yoah, wo'|| havo a go.'
1hoy soundod roa||y protoss|ona| bocauso thoy had two vox AC 80 amp||t|ors. l a|so had an
AC 80, so whon you |ookod at |t, throo AC 80s, throo |ondors - b|oody ho||, |t must bo a groat
band!
1h|s was around 1000 or 1007. Wo had 3||| Ward on drums, v|c ladtord on gu|tar and
V|chao| lountnoy on bass. 3|ngor Chr|s 3m|th camo |ator bocauso 3||| usod to s|ng |n tho oar|y
days ot 1ho lost and ho d|d a good job ot |t, too.
At that t|mo wo had no monoy. 3||| usod to go around p|ck|ng up a|| thoso b|ts ot drumst|cks
that tho drummors ot othor bands had p|ayod w|th and brokon. |o cou|dn't attord to buy any now
onos, so ho got usod to p|ay|ng w|th thoso ha|t-st|cks. v|c ladtord had a|so choppod h|s t|ngor
ott. l th|nk ho caught h|s m|dd|o |ndox t|ngor |n a door and toppod |t ott. ||m |os|ng h|s t|ngor was
a groat ho|p to mo, bocauso l had novor mot anybody o|so who had dono that. l thought, b|oody
ho||, both |n tho samo band! |o ovon tr|od ono ot my th|mb|os, but |t's somoth|ng you roa||y havo
to got usod to. lt's just anothor wor|d, |t's a tota||y d|ttoront sty|o ot p|ay|ng, and you'vo just got to
chango a|| tho ru|os. And that's what l d|d.
l d|dn't to||ow any ru|os at a||. l mado my own.
Wo d|d a |ot ot covors: somo 3hadows, somo 3oat|os, maybo somo 3tonos, moro or |oss
1op 20 stutt. You had to p|ay that poppy stutt, or o|so you wou|dn't got a g|g. 1ho lost was qu|to
popu|ar, wo startod mak|ng a b|t ot a namo, just |oca||y. Wo'd p|ay at tho V|d|and lod C|ub,
wh|ch was |n tho V|d|and lod 3us 0opot. lt was a soc|a| c|ub whoro a|| tho poop|o who workod
thoro wou|d go. 1hoy had a band thoro ovory wook. Wo usod to p|ay a|tornato wooks, and 1ohn
3onham was usua||y |n tho othor band that p|ayod thoro. |o'd |ast about t|vo m|nutos |n th|s band
bocauso ho was too |oud and thoy'd t|ro h|m. 1hon ho'd snoak back |n w|th anothor band and
botoro |ong thoy wou|d got r|d ot h|m tor tho samo roason. |o had th|s drum caso w|th a|| tho
namos ot tho bands ho'd boon w|th on |t, and thoy woro a|| crossod out. And tho namos wou|d
got sma||or and sma||or so that ho cou|d got thom a|| on. A|| th|s was botoro bands had lA
systoms and drums woro amp||t|od. |o just p|ayod thom acoust|ca||y. 3ut ho h|t thoso sk|ns so
hard, b||moy, |t was |ncrod|b|o. |o was just so b|oody |oud!
1ho lock|n' Chovro|ots had |ong s|nco brokon up, but l was st||| w|th A|an Vorod|th's s|stor,
Vargaroth.
l was vory joa|ous back thon and l was vory protoct|vo ot Vargaroth. Ono n|ght l was on stago
p|ay|ng away w|th 1ho lost whon l saw somobody bothor|ng hor. l put my gu|tar down, jumpod
ott stago, wont around, punchod th|s b|oko out, got back on stago and carr|od on p|ay|ng.
1ho stutt you do . . .
Ono t|mo wo woro wa|k|ng around Aston. l wont to tho |oo and sho wa|tod outs|do tor mo.
Whon l camo out thoro was a gang ot guys hass||ng hor. l saw rod. l wont stra|ght to tho guy
c|osost to hor, grabbod h|m, and bang! luck||y, tho othors backod ott. l usod to do that a |ot |n
thoso days. A|ways |n a t|ght somowhoro. 3ut l'vo ca|mod down now. At |ast.
Vy ro|at|onsh|p w|th Vargaroth ovon out|astod 1ho lost. 1hoy t|zz|od out bocauso tho bass
p|ayor got marr|od and doc|dod to qu|t. 1ho lost was just a ||tt|o band that had dono a|| r|ght tor
a wh||o p|ay|ng pubs. l|tt|o d|d wo know |t was tho stutt Vytho|ogy was mado ot . . .
lator on |n oar|y 3abbath days l wont out w|th Vargaroth's youngor s|stor, l|nda. lt was vory
strango go|ng around to tho samo houso, but thon to p|ck somobody o|so up. 1horo'd bo mo,
s|tt|ng outs|do |n my car wa|t|ng tor l|nda, and anothor guy wou|d pu|| up |n h|s car to p|ck up
Vargaroth.
l|nda and l broko up whon l wont ott to tour Europo tor tho t|rst t|mo. l camo back and to|d hor
that l wantod to ond |t, bocauso tor mo Europo had oponod my oyos to a d|ttoront ||to a|togothor,
somoth|ng l had novor soon botoro, ||v|ng |n 3|rm|ngham.
0
Job-hoing into nowhoro
Attor |oav|ng schoo| l was oxpoctod to jo|n tho worktorco. 1ho t|rst job l got was through a tr|ond
ot 0ad's who ownod a p|umb|ng company. lt was on a bu||d|ng s|to and l |astod no t|mo at a||. l
cou|dn't hand|o |t bocauso l don't ||ko ho|ghts.
Vy noxt b|g caroor movo was gott|ng a job troadm||||ng, wh|ch was mak|ng thoso r|ngs that
havo a scrow on thom and |t you put thom around a rubbor p|po and you t|ghton thom, thoy c|oso
up on |t. lt was p|ocowork, so you got so much tor howovor many you d|d, but you cut your hands
to p|ocos do|ng |t. l thought, l havo to p|ay w|th thoso! 3o l got out ot thoro |n a hurry as wo||.
l thon got a job at th|s b|g mus|c shop ca||od Yard|oy's |n tho contro ot town. A|| tho mus|c|ans
mot oach othor thoro, and tho poop|o who sorvod thom woro p|ay|ng away to show thom how
ovoryth|ng workod. l thought that's what l'd bo do|ng: '1h|s |s how th|s gu|tar works, th|s |s tho
sound |t's got.'
3ut |nstoad thoy had mo gott|ng a|| ot tho stutt out ot tho w|ndows, c|oan|ng a|| tho drum k|ts,
putt|ng thom back, c|oan|ng tho gu|tars, putt|ng thom back, and l thought, hang on, whon can l s|t
and p|ay? 1hon thoy had a burg|ary and thoy thought l was |nvo|vod, bocauso l was tho now ono
thoro. 1hoy |ntorrogatod mo and roma|nod susp|c|ous unt|| thoy t|na||y tound who actua||y d|d |t. l
d|dn't ||ko what thoy had mo do|ng, bocauso a|| l d|d was mon|a| tasks, and l d|dn't ||ko what had
happonod. 3o aga|n l wont and got anothor job.
Vo qu|tt|ng a|| thoso jobs d|dn't go down at a|| wo|| w|th my paronts. 1hoy wou|d both havo a go
at mo: 'Whon aro you go|ng to got a propor job |nstoad ot th|s p|ay|ng tho gu|tar th|ng!?'
Attor work|ng at Yard|oy's l got tho wo|d|ng job that cost mo my t|ngors. And attor my hand
hoa|od l got a job at 380 1ypowr|tors. 1hoy taught mo to dr|vo and thoy gavo mo a van. l had to
woar a su|t and go to ott|cos and sorv|co tho typowr|tors on tho spot. Whon l ropa|rod stutt
thoro'd bo scrows ovorywhoro: whoro's tho scrow tor th|s and whoro's that b|t, oh no, ||tt|o
scrows trom horo and thoro, oh my God!
3ut l roa||y ||kod |t, bocauso l mot a |ot ot g|r|s that way. As |ong as l was ropa|r|ng tho|r
typowr|tors thoy cou|dn't work and thoy'd bo chatt|ng away, so l had no opt|on but to chat thom
up. 1hat actua||y backt|rod on mo, bocauso g|r|s woro phon|ng our ott|co say|ng tho|r typowr|tor
had brokon aga|n. 3o tho gov'nor wou|d say: 'You woro on|y thoro a coup|o ot days ago, l
thought you ropa|rod |t!'
'l d|d!'
'Wo||, thoy want you back bocauso thoro's somoth|ng not work|ng on |t, so got ovor thoro.'
l'd t|nd out thoro was noth|ng wrong w|th tho typowr|tors, but bocauso l had boon chatt|ng thom
up thoso g|r|s thought l was go|ng to ask thom out. lt was tun. lt ondod bocauso l was gott|ng too
many g|gs w|th 1ho lost and camo |n |ato too otton, so |t was not work|ng out any moro.
And attor that l novor had anothor job.
10
Eow throo angoIa aavod hoavy motaI
Attor l passod my dr|v|ng tost l bought an VG3 sports car. l was o|ghtoon or n|notoon, l was
work|ng and l pa|d so much towards |t ovory wook. Vy mothor novor wantod mo to havo |t,
bocauso l was a b|t trant|c |n that th|ng. And l actua||y had a sor|ous acc|dont |n |t.
0r|v|ng a|ong a dua| carr|agoway l ovortook th|s othor car. l |ookod ovor and |t was a g|r|
dr|v|ng. And suddon|y . . . bang! l'd dr|von ovor somoth|ng and two tyros wont and |t pu||od mo
stra|ght ott tho road. l wont t|y|ng ovor |nto somo troos and saw tho w|ngs com|ng ott tho car as l
was s|tt|ng thoro. As l romombor |t, |t a|| happonod |n s|ow mot|on. lt sounds mad, but l saw throo
t|guros como down, ono to tho |ott and two to tho r|ght, ||ko ango|s. And l thought, th|s |s |t.
l h|t a troo, tho car t||ppod ovor and l was knockod out. Whon l camo to, l smo||od potro| and l
thought, tuck, l hopo |t doosn't b|ow up. lt was a convort|b|o and |t had no ro|| bars. lt was ups|do
down, but l managod to got out bocauso l had |andod |n sott oarth. lt was a b|g drop and l
scramb|od up to tho road. l had concuss|on and l d|dn't know what was go|ng on. 3omo guy
p|ckod mo up and apparont|y l was rant|ng to h|m: '0on't to|| my paronts, don't to|| thom!'
1ho noxt th|ng l know my mum was scroam|ng at mo |n my hosp|ta| bod: 'You barmy bastard,
tancy do|ng that. You shou|d havo novor bought that car!'
3|oody ho||.
Evorybody who saw tho car sa|d: 'You shou|d havo boon k|||od.' 1hoy brought tho wrock to my
houso, on a tra||or. Vum saw |t and just burst out cry|ng. Evon tho poop|o who towod |t sa|d:
'|ow tho ho|| d|d you got out?'
l sa|d: 'l don't know.'
l shou|d havo boon k|||od, but a|| l had was concuss|on. l was bru|sod a b|t, but noth|ng vory
sor|ous.
3oo|ng thoso throo t|guros, |t was so v|v|d. lt mado mo th|nk, Chr|st, l'vo boon savod horo. And
savod tor a purposo: to do somoth|ng. 3omoono onco suggostod |t was to |nvont hoavy mota|.
What a groat purposo. 1ho ango|s must havo sa|d to oach othor: 'Oops, that wont wrong!'
lt took mo a wh||o to got back |nto a car attor that. 3ut l had to dr|vo tho band's trans|t van, so l
d|dn't havo a|| that much t|mo to got ovor |t. And l d|d havo sports cars aga|n |ator.
3ut l don't |ook at womon now whon l ovortako thom.
11
1hinga go horribIy aouth u north
Attor 1ho lost to|| apart l got th|s ottor to jo|n a band ca||od Vytho|ogy. 1hoy woro trom Car||s|o,
thon a town ot maybo 70,000 poop|o on tho bordor w|th 3cot|and, about a throo-hour dr|vo trom
3|rm|ngham. l wont up thoro and Chr|s 3m|th camo as wo||, as Vytho|ogy a|so noodod a s|ngor.
1ho band had boon roducod to lo|| Varsha||, tho bass p|ayor and band |oador, and a drummor
who soon |ott, so l thought, wo||, l know a drummor! Entor 3||| Ward. 1hon most ot 1ho lost
movod to Car||s|o and bocamo Vytho|ogy. lt was a |og|ca| stop tor us. ln 3|rm|ngham thoro was
a ||m|t to what wo cou|d do, but Vytho|ogy was tho b|ggost band up thoro, so thoro woro g|gs to
bo p|ayod.
l'd novor boon out ot b|oody 3|rm|ngham botoro, whoro l was st||| ||v|ng w|th my paronts. 1o
movo out and ||vo up |n Car||s|o w|th tho rost ot tho band was a b|g stop. l d|dn't know anybody,
so hav|ng Chr|s thoro, and 3||| a ||tt|o |ator on, was groat. Wo ||vod |n Compton |ouso, a b|g
p|aco that was d|v|dod up |nto t|ats. Wo had a |oungo and a ||tt|o k|tchon on tho top t|oor, and a
bodroom undornoath that wo a|| sharod.
1ho |and|ady and hor daughtor a|so ||vod |n tho houso, but thoy woron't tho on|y onos thoro.
Ono day wo woro about to ordor t|sh and ch|ps and wo countod out how many port|ons wo'd
nood: 'You want ch|ps, you want ch|ps, you want ch|ps . . .'
Wo countod ono moro than wo actua||y noodod, bocauso thoro was a young boy thoro who wo
took |nto account. l sa|d to 3|||: '|ang on, d|d you soo that?'
'Yoah, a boy.'
3||moy, that was wo|rd. lt was roa||y puzz||ng who th|s |ad was. l sa|d to our |and|ady: 'lt sounds
mad, but wo th|nk wo saw a young boy upsta|rs.'
3ho sa|d: '0|d ho |ook about sovon or o|ght yoars o|d?'
'Yoah.'
'Oh, ho d|od |n tho houso many yoars ago.'
3ho was comp|oto|y awaro ot |t. |o'd had a bad doath r|ght thoro. 3ut ho wasn't tho on|y ono.
Wo saw th|s young g|r| thoro as wo||. Apparont|y sho had drownod |n tho bath . . .
lt d|dn't tr|ghton us. lt |t had boon ghosts jump|ng at us, scroam|ng, wo'd havo probab|y shat
ourso|vos, but thoy woro just young k|ds.
Wo woro ta|r|y carotu| w|th what wo d|d thoro, w|th tho no|so and stutt. Wo got drunk on choap
w|no a tow t|mos, tor wh|ch wo du|y got to|d ott, and wo woron't a||owod to br|ng g|r|s |n. lo way:
womon |n thoro? You cou|dn't do that! l was twonty yoars o|d, and lo|| was about twonty-tour at
tho t|mo. ||s c|a|m to tamo was that ho usod to p|ay w|th lotor 8 Gordon. lo|| was |oad|ng a
much moro grown up band than 1ho lost had boon. Vytho|ogy had |ts own sty|o. Wo p|ayod
moro gu|tar stutt than l was usod to, b|uos w|th |ots ot so|os. lt gavo mo tho opportun|ty to roa||y
start p|ay|ng, to actua||y |oarn to p|ay so|os. And as wo ga|nod moro popu|ar|ty, l ga|nod moro
popu|ar|ty, poop|o ||kod what l p|ayod.
Vytho|ogy had a groat agont, Von|ca lynton, who usod to got us qu|to a b|t ot work. Ot courso
sho wou|d a|ways go: 'You cou|d p|ay a b|t moro popu|ar stutt, you know.'
Wo rohoarsod |n tho |oungo, just qu|ot|y, to put a song togothor. 3ut most th|ngs wo p|ayod
woro covors. Wo oxtondod thom or changod thom around a b|t, so that wo cou|d put a so|o |n.
Wo'd try |t out |n tho houso and thon do |t dur|ng tho g|g tho noxt n|ght.
Wo had somo b|uos and rock a|bums. Ono rocord wo p|ayod a |ot was 1ho Voody 3|uos'
Loys o lototo Possoo, ovon though wo d|dn't p|ay any ot tho songs ourso|vos. And wo had
5opotoototo| lolty 7o|os, an a|bum by a band ca||od Art. 1ho|r s|ngor, V|ko |arr|son, |ator
bocamo tamous w|th 3pooky 1ooth. Wo corta|n|y p|ayod a coup|o ot tracks ott that |n our sot,
bocauso thoy woro b|g up thoro, so poop|o wantod to hoar that.
Wo p|ayod p|acos ||ko tho 1own |a|| |n Car||s|o, ono ot thoso horr|b|o sound|ng bu||d|ngs, tho
Cosmo, tho b|ggost c|ub thoro, ||ko a b|g ba||room, and tho G|obo |oto| on Va|n 3troot, a p|aco
wo |ator p|ayod w|th 3abbath as wo||. Wo d|d about two or throo g|gs a wook, not just |n Car||s|o
but travo|||ng to G|asgow, Ed|nburgh, lowcast|o and a|| tho ||tt|o pockots and p|acos |n botwoon.
Wo had tough aud|oncos up thoro. 1hoy cou|d dr|nk ||ko 3cotsmon and shout ||ko thom as wo||:
'You know any lo|||ng 3tonos? l|ay somo lo|||ng 3tonos!'
1hoy tought a|| tho t|mo, that was tho|r n|ght out. 3ott|os camo t|y|ng |n, but |t you stoppod
p|ay|ng that wou|d bo |t: thoy'd smash your stutt up. 3o you had to p|ay on, no mattor what. lt was
just ||ko that mov|o 7bo B|oos Btotbots: you'd dodgo bott|os ga|oro. A|| tho aud|onco woro
t|ght|ng and |t'd bo roa||y r|d|cu|ous. 1hon tho noxt wook thoy'd a|| bo back and ovoryth|ng wou|d
bo r|ght as ra|n and thoy'd bo ta|k|ng and thon |t wou|d a|| start ovor aga|n. lt's wo|rd to soo
ovorybody t|ght|ng and tho g|r|s scroam|ng and glt|s t|ght|ng!
l|v|ng away trom homo, wo woro troo to do and |ook as wo p|oasod. l startod to grow my ha|r
and |t just wont mad. loop|o wou|d actua||y bo tr|ghtonod ot us, bocauso nobody had |ong ha|r
||ko that. A|so l had th|s bucksk|n jackot that l |lvoo |n. l was proud ot |t and woro |t ovorywhoro.
3||| Ward took that ono stop turthor: ho'd woar a 1-sh|rt tor l don't know how many days ooo go
to bod |n |t. |o was a d|rty buggor, and ho hasn't changod much s|nco. Wo actua||y ca||od h|m
3mo||y tor many yoars. Wo ovon bought gas masks and woro thom whon ho was thoro. And 3|||
wont: '|ang on a b|t!'
1ho joko backt|rod on us whon wo got stoppod by tho po||co |n |art|opoo|. 1hoy spottod thoso
gas masks |n tho back ot our van and thought wo woro go|ng to do a robbory. Wo got arrostod
and woro hau|od ott to tho po||co stat|on. lmag|no that happon|ng |n lark lano: thoy wou|d havo
ta|kod about |t tor agos.
Up |n Car||s|o l smokod my t|rst hash|sh. lt mado mo go wo|rd, a|most parano|d. l thought, oh
God, l don't know |t l ||ko that. And l suro d|dn't ||ko what |t wou|d |oad to |n tho ond. 1h|s doa|or
camo around to tho houso maybo throo t|mos, bocauso lo|| wou|d buy a ||tt|o b|t ot hash ott h|m.
Ono day th|s guy, who was trom out ot town, turnod up w|th thoso su|tcasos. |o sa|d: 'Can l
|oavo thoso horo, bocauso l'vo got to do a b|t ot runn|ng around.'
Wo sa|d yos and novor saw h|m aga|n.
1ho noxt morn|ng, around sovon o'c|ock, bang! 1ho po||co bustod tho door down and camo
|nto our room. 1hoy tound thoso su|tcasos, tu|| ot dopo.
Wo woro shockod: 'lt's not ours!'
1hoy |ockod us up and thoro was a|| ho|| to pay. l was potr|t|od. Oh no, what aro Vum and 0ad
go|ng to th|nk now!
lt was actua||y tho t|rst t|mo l had somo ot my own and |t was maybo tho th|rd t|mo l had ovor
smokod |t. Wo tr|od to oxp|a|n that tho su|tcasos woron't ours. 1hoy know that, bocauso thoy'd
boon to||ow|ng th|s guy. 1hat's what |od thom to our houso. 1hoy arrostod h|m but thoy woro st|||
try|ng to chargo us w|th |t, say|ng: 'lt you don't to|| us what's go|ng on . . . a|| th|s was |n your
possoss|on, you know!'
1hoy roa||y |a|d |t on and tr|ghtonod us to doath. 1hoy soparatod us and askod us a||
quost|ons. Ot courso wo woro th|nk|ng, l wondor what tho othors havo sa|d? vory awkward.
lt was sp|ashod a|| ovor tho nowspapors, bocauso |t was a b|g th|ng thon: '3and caught w|th
drugs'. lt mado tho nat|ona| nows and a|so roachod 3|rm|ngham, so my paronts tound out.
lmag|no tho no|ghbours: '1hat lomm| boy |s a drug add|ct!'
l ca||od my mothor and sho wont abso|uto|y potty at mo, cry|ng and scroam|ng and shout|ng:
'You brought d|sgraco to th|s houso!'
3orgoant Car|ton was tho ono who bustod us. |o tound out soon onough wo woron't tho
hardonod cr|m|na|s thoy woro |ook|ng tor. |o ho|pod us sort |t out.
1ho drug t|asco was tho ma|n roason Vytho|ogy broko up. Gott|ng g|gs bocamo d|tt|cu|t, so
mo and 3||| just camo back to 3|rm|ngham. l had to ||vo at homo aga|n. lt was ombarrass|ng, but
l had nowhoro o|so to go.
3||| and l stuck togothor. Wo wantod to start anothor band, so wo |ookod around tor s|ngors.
Wo wont |nto a mus|c shop and wo saw th|s advort say|ng: 'Ozzy Z|g roqu|ros g|g, owns h|s own
lA'.
l sa|d to 3|||: 'l know an Ozzy, but |t can't bo h|m.'
Wo drovo around to th|s addross, knockod on tho door, h|s mothor answorod and wo sa|d: 'ls
Ozzy |n?'
3ho sa|d: 'Yos. 1ust a m|nuto.'
3ho turnod around and shoutod: '1ohn, |t's tor you.'
And whon ho camo to tho door l sa|d to 3|||: 'Oh no, torgot |t. l know th|s guy.'
12
Down to Earth
'What do you moan?' 3||| sa|d.
l sa|d: 'l know h|m trom schoo|. And as tar as l know ho |sn't a s|ngor.'
l supposo Ozzy was shockod as wo||. l hadn't soon h|m s|nco schoo|, so tho on|y th|ng ho
romomborod about mo was mo go|ng around boat|ng poop|o up. Ozzy |s a yoar youngor than
mo, so ho was |n a c|ass ono yoar bo|ow m|no. |o a|ways hung around w|th h|s tr|ond 1|mmy
lh||||ps. A|bort and mo novor assoc|atod w|th thom at schoo|.
Vo and 3||| ta|kod to Ozzy tor a b|t and thon wo sa|d: 'Okay thon.'
And ott wo wont and bas|ca||y torgot about |t. A tow days |ator 3||| camo ovor to our houso and
Vum mado h|m a sandw|ch. 3uddon|y Ozzy and Goozor turnod up, |ook|ng tor a drummor. l sa|d:
'3||| |s a drummor, but wo'ro go|ng to st|ck togothor. 3ut |t 3||| wants to do |t, t|no.'
3ut 3||| sa|d: 'lo, no, l want to st|ck w|th 1ony.'
l sa|d: 'Why don't wo a|| havo a go? Got a band and soo how |t goos.'
Wo got togothor tor a t|rst rohoarsa|. Ozzy's tr|ond 1|mmy lh||||ps was thoro as wo||, p|ay|ng
tho s||do gu|tar, and somo guy was honk|ng away on a saxophono. Goozor was a gu|tar p|ayor
but ho doc|dod to sw|tch to tho bass. 1roub|o was, ho d|dn't havo a bass and no|thor d|d ho havo
tho monoy to buy ono. |o tunod down h|s |ondor 1o|ocastor, try|ng to p|ay tho bass parts that
way tor that ono rohoarsa|. l thought, oh b||moy! 1o my ro||ot ho thon wont and borrowod a |otnor
bass ott h|s o|d band |ator. |o on|y had throo str|ngs on that, but ho on|y p|ayod ono str|ng thon
anyway.
Wo rohoarsod somo b|uos stutt, d|d a tow songs and ca||od ourso|vos 1ho lo|ka 1u|k 3|uos
3and. 1|mmy lh||||ps and mo woro go|ng to try and got somo g|gs. Wo woro |n our |oungo w|th
tho phono on tho boxos and l sa|d: 'Wo||, 1|mmy, you phono th|s ono, th|s 3pot||ght
Entorta|nmont sounds |ntorost|ng.'
|o phonod up and ho wont: 'Can l spoak to Vr 3pot||ght p|oaso?'
Wo startod |augh|ng and that was tho ond ot that. 1ust d|sastrous. l thon ca||od Vytho|ogy's
agont Von|ca lynton up |n Car||s|o, say|ng: 'Wo'vo got th|s band, g|vo us a try.'
3ho sa|d: 'Okay, but you'vo got to p|ay somo 1op 20 stutt, |n ordor to got away w|th p|ay|ng
somo b|uos.'
'Okay, okay.'
Ott wo wont to Car||s|o. loar thoro, |n a p|aco ca||od Egromont, wo p|ayod at tho 1oo 3ar.
1h|s b|g 3cott|sh b|oko camo up to mo and sa|d: 'Yor s|ngor |s crap!'
'Ah, r|ght. 1hanks.'
Wo must havo |ookod a r|ght b|oody bunch: mo |n my bucksk|n jackot, 3||| |n h|s smo||y goar
and thon thoro was Ozzy who had shavod h|s hoad ba|d. Goozor woro a |ong lnd|an h|pp|o
dross. loaco, man, and a|| that stutt. l thought, that's wo|rd, a b|oko |n a dross. What havo l |ot
myso|t |n tor?
Goozor datod th|s g|r| who ||vod down tho road trom our shop, so l saw h|m wa|k|ng past a |ot.
l saw h|m moro otton whon l was |n a band that p|ayod at th|s n|ghtc|ub and Goozor's band, laro
3rood, p|ayod thoro as wo||. You'd soo h|m craw||ng up wa||s, bocauso ho d|d ac|d |n thoso
days. l thought ho was a |oon.Whon wo p|ayod tho G|obo |oto| |n Car||s|o, somo |d|ot camo |n
who had a|roady knockod a coup|o ot po||comon out and k|||od ono ot tho|r dogs. Wo woro
gott|ng tho oqu|pmont out, Goozor was com|ng down tho sta|rs |n h|s h|ppy c|othos carry|ng a
coup|o ot gu|tars and th|s guy camo attor h|m: 'You-ou-ou-aargh!!'
Goozor wont: '|uh!'
|o |ot go ot tho gu|tars and shoutod: '0on't h|t mo, man, l'm poacotu|!!'
And thon ho ran. lt was unbo||ovab|o, th|s comp|oto|y trant|c b|g b|oko runn|ng attor Goozor
and Goozor |n h|s kattan try|ng dosporato|y to got away trom h|m. lt took a who|o gang ot
po||comon to got tho b|oko down and to ja||. 3|oody ho||: what a groat way to start ott w|th a now
band!
lt d|dn't |ast that |ong w|th 1|mmy lh||||ps and th|s saxophono p|ayor. 1horo wou|d bo a so|o
and ovorybody wou|d bo p|ay|ng |t at tho samo t|mo. lt was a r|ght row. 1hoso two guys just
soomod to do th|s tor a b|t ot a |augh, and that upsot mo. l had a ||tt|o moot|ng w|th 3|||, Goozor
and Ozzy and sa|d: '1ho sax p|ayor doosn't roa||y work and no|thor doos 1|mmy lh||||ps.'
1hoy sa|d: 'What do you want to do?'
Wo d|dn't want to hurt anybody's too||ngs by t|r|ng thom, so wo to|d thom wo woro broak|ng
up. Attor that wo d|dn't soo oach othor tor a coup|o ot days and thon wo got back togothor w|th
just tho tour ot us.
1hoso t|rst g|gs woro crap. 1h|s band was not noar|y as good as Vytho|ogy, but l sa|d: 'G|vo |t
t|mo, |t w||| bo a|| r|ght.'
l cou|d soo thoro was somo potont|a|. lt was an odd comb|nat|on: somobody l know trom
schoo| who l d|dn't got a|ong w|th back thon, Goozor, who was trom anothor p|anot, and mo and
3|||, who woro probab|y trom anothor p|anot as wo||. 3ut |t a|| soomod to jo||. Wo rohoarsod and
rohoarsod and d|d a tow g|gs and th|ngs startod work|ng tor us.
Wo droppod tho namo 1ho lo|ka 1u|k 3|uos 3and and changod |t to Earth 3|uos 3and, wh|ch
qu|ck|y turnod |nto Earth. Wo woro do|ng two|vo-bar b|uos, 1on Yoars Attor-typo stutt. l just ||kod
anyth|ng w|th gu|tar. Wo had b|uos a|bums by art|sts l'd novor hoard ot, but thoro wou|d bo a
gu|tar so|o on ono ot thom and wo'd go: 'Ah, wo'|| do th|s track, |t's good, anothor two|vo-bar!'
1ho gu|tar work bocamo moro jazzy and 3||| roa||y ||kod b|g band mus|c, so wo a|so wont |nto
moro jazzy stutt. Ozzy was do|ng that t|no. l usod to bo on at h|m a |ot, bocauso at t|rst ho d|dn't
know what to do. l was a|ways say|ng: 'Go on, ta|k to tho aud|onco, say th|s, say that.'
And Goozor |oarnod to p|ay tho bass vory qu|ck|y: botoro you know |t ho was p|ay|ng away.
3ut bocauso wo p|ayod tho b|uos, wo d|dn't work a |ot. ln 3|rm|ngham sou| was b|g thon, so
thoro woro on|y a coup|o ot p|acos whoro wo cou|d p|ay. |or us, Vothors c|ub was probab|y tho
bost vonuo |n 3|rm|ngham. Wo p|ayod |t, but l a|so saw Ch|ckon 3hack, 1on ||soman's
Co|ossoum and |roo thoro. 1ho 1own |a|| had a tunny sound, but wo p|ayod that a tow t|mos as
wo||. ln tact tho Vo|omo 4 a|bum's |ns|do covor has a p|cturo ot us portorm|ng thoro. A |ot ot
p|acos wo p|ayod at woro |n pubs, whoro thoy'd havo th|s b|g room that thoy d|dn't uso, and so
thoy'd ront |t out to somobody who'd organ|so a g|g |n thoro. l|ko 1|m 3|mpson, who rontod a
room ovor a pub |n tho contro ot 3|rm|ngham and ca||od |t |onry's 3|uos |ouso. |o had |t
maybo a coup|o ot n|ghts a wook, but |t bocamo vory popu|ar.
3ocauso tho stagos woro so sma||, wo a|| k|nd ot groupod togothor. Ozzy hovorod |n tront ot
mo somowhoro, but |ator, whon wo got to tho b|ggor stagos, ho stood to tho |ott |n tront ot my
stack and l movod to tho m|dd|o ot tho stago. 0on't ask mo why, l novor know. lt soomod wo|rd,
but l ||kod |t: contro stago was tho bost spot to hoar how ovoryth|ng soundod. lt stayod that way
unt|| wo broko up. Ozzy on|y wont to tho m|dd|o whon wo got back togothor many yoars |ator, |n
tho n|not|os.
1ho t|rst th|ng tho band bought was a hugo Commor van w|th b|ackod-out w|ndows. lt was a
wrock, an ox-po||co van that had a groat b|g ho|o |n tho t|oor on tho passongor s|do. l onco usod
tho van to p|ck up th|s g|r|. Wo had put a carpot ovor tho ho|o, try|ng to do |t up a b|t. 3ho camo
out a|| do||od up, stock|ngs on, c||mbod |n tho van, and wont stra|ght through tho t|oor. 1ho mota|
r|ppod hor stock|ngs and cut hor |og. 3o that was tho ond ot that romanco.
Vum ho|pod us got tho dopos|t tor |t. Wo dockod |t out and put a couch |n tho back. Wo'd
dr|vo up to Car||s|o |n th|s th|ng, wh|ch was unbo||ovab|o. 1ho van broko down constant|y. lt was
sh|t but tho roads woro sh|t as wo|| back thon. 1o go to Car||s|o or london soomod ||ko novor-
ond|ng journoys.
As l was tho on|y ono who had a ||conco and wo cou|dn't attord a chauttour, l was tho ono
dr|v|ng |t. l'd p|ck ovorybody up to got to rohoarsa|s and g|gs, but bocauso |t was a|| down to mo
l'd got abso|uto|y shattorod, so wo'ro a|| |ucky to havo surv|vod that, roa||y. 1hoy'd a|| bo as|oop |n
tho back and l'd bo s|app|ng my taco try|ng to stay consc|ous. 1ho worst th|ng was, whon l
oponod tho w|ndow to koop awako, thoy'd go: 'Oy, |t's co|d |n tho back!'
0r|v|ng homo ono n|ght whon ovorybody was as|oop, l tound th|s road that was |dont|ca| to tho
ono Ozzy ||vod |n. l thought |t wou|d bo groat tun to drop h|m ott thoro! lt was tour or t|vo o'c|ock |n
tho morn|ng, Ozzy was as|oop and l sa|d: 'A|| r|ght, Oz, you'ro homo!'
'Wouhh . . .'
|o got out ot tho van and l shoutod: '3oo you tomorrow, ta ra!'
l pu||od away, |ookod |n my roar-v|ow m|rror and saw Ozzy try|ng to got |nto tho wrong houso.
3y tho t|mo ho roa||sod |t wasn't h|s, wo woro gono. And ho had to wa|k a m||o or so to got to h|s
own houso. 1ho noxt n|ght l p|ckod h|m up aga|n and ho wont: 'You droppod mo ott at tho wrong
road yostorday!'
l sa|d: 'Oh, d|d l? Oh my God, l thought that was your road!'
'lo, no, |t was tho wrong road.'
lator that n|ght, on our way homo, ho to|| as|oop aga|n |n tho back and l stoppod at tho samo
wrong stroot.
'A|| r|ght, Oz, you'ro homo!'
'Wouhh . . .'
|o got out, wo drovo ott, samo aga|n. |o to|| tor that umptoon t|mos.
Vum ho|p|ng out buy|ng tho van was ono s|do ot tho co|n, tho othor s|do was hor moan|ng: 'A
b|oody nu|sanco you aro. You ought to got a b|oody propor job!'
3ut sho d|d a |ot tor us and sho |ookod attor ovorybody. 3ho'd a|ways ottor sandw|chos or
somoth|ng o|so to oat, so tho band |ovod hor. And both 0ad and Vum ||kod a|| tho guys |n tho
band. 1hoy took a part|cu|ar sh|no to Ozzy. 0ad thought ho was tunny, and ho was r|ght: Ozzy
was a vory tunny guy.
Ozzy's dad a|so ho|pod out. Ozzy d|d havo h|s own lA, but wo noodod a b|ggor ono, so h|s
dad s|gnod a th|ng ca||od a pay bond. 1h|s moant ho guarantood paymont and Ozzy cou|d
borrow tho monoy to buy |t. |o bought a 1r|umph amp and two cab|nots. And wo had a vox lA.
ln thoso days you d|dn't havo a sound man tw|dd||ng tho knobs |n tho m|dd|o ot tho ha||, a|| tho
sound camo trom your own goar on stago so you'd start and you'd turn tho vo|umo up and thon
ovorybody wou|d start scroam|ng: '1urn |t down!'
Wo'd got comp|a|nts bocauso wo woro a|ways too |oud. A|ways. lt you woro stand|ng |n tront
ot your own cab|not you cou|dn't hoar anybody o|so any moro, so you'd movo ovor to hoar what
o|so was go|ng on. You cou|d novor roa||y hoar tho voca|s, ovon though Ozzy turnod up h|s amp
so |oud |t wou|d start wh|st||ng.
Wo p|ayod at |onry's 3|uos |ouso a |ot, whoro wo qu|ck|y dovo|opod a draw. 1|m 3|mpson,
tho guy who ran that p|aco, took an |ntorost |n us. |o was a jazz guy, a trumpot p|ayor, and wo
p|ayod jazzy b|uos. |o ||kod that, so ho approachod us tor managomont. Wo d|dn't havo
anybody o|so, ho had h|s 3|uos |ouso whoro wo cou|d p|ay, so wo thought, |t wo don't s|gn w|th
h|m wo won't havo tho g|g.
1|m 3|mpson startod manag|ng us around tho ond ot 1008, bog|nn|ng ot '00. 3o horo wo
woro, |n possoss|on ot lAs, a hugo wrock ot a Commor van, a sot ||st t|||od w|th jazzy two|vo-bar
b|uos and a managor. A|| drossod down and no part|cu|ar p|aco to go but up.
1ho t|rst th|ng 1|m 3|mpson d|d was put us on tho 3|g 3oar |o||y, a UK tour w|th tour bands
p|ay|ng, and tho n|ght a|ways ondod |n a jam w|th ovorybody back on stago. ln 1anuary 1000 wo
p|ayod tho Varquoo c|ub, but wo d|dn't go down vory wo|| w|th 1ohn Goo, tho managor ot tho
p|aco. 1ho guy was |nto b|g bands and, whon 3||| c|a|mod ho was a|so |nto jazz, 1ohn Goo
p|ayod h|m somo ot that mus|c and sa|d: 'Who's th|s thon, who |s th|s?'
3||| gavo h|m a tota||y wrong namo and 1ohn Goo roa||y got tho hump.
Ozzy had a pyjama top on and a tap around h|s nock. 1ohn d|dn't ||ko that o|thor. |o probab|y
thought wo woro roa||y scrutty. Wo||, wo woro. Wo d|dn't havo tho monoy to |ook good. Ozzy
actua||y usod to wa|k around |n baro toot. Goozor was tho tash|on guru who'd got tho |atost trond.
|o had thoso ||mo-groon trousors. 1hoy woro h|s on|y pa|r and ho washod thom a|| tho t|mo and
woro thom ovor and ovor aga|n. Ono day ho dr|od thom by tho hoator and ono ot tho |ogs caught
t|ro. 3ocauso ho |ovod th|s pa|r ot trousors so much, h|s mum sowod anothor |og on and trom
thon on ho wa|kod around w|th ono groon |og and ono b|ack |og. Vad!
3||| actua||y won an award tor tho worst drossod rock star onco, '1ho 3crutt|ost lock 3tar Out
1horo' or somoth|ng ||ko that. |o was roa||y proud ot |t as wo||. And thoro was mo |n my bucksk|n
jackot. What w|th tho c|othos and |ots ot ha|r, wo corta|n|y |ookod hoavy. Wo a|| grow hand|obar
moustachos and 3||| grow a board as wo||. 1horo was no consc|ous thought boh|nd that. lt you'ro
|n a band you dovo|op a s|m||ar |ook.
'Oh, your ha|r has got a ||tt|o |ongor, |ooks good, |oavo |t ||ko that.'
1ho downs|do ot |t was that wo d|dn't havo any womon com|ng to tho g|gs. 3crutty |ong ha|r,
on|y b|okos s|tt|ng thoro . . .
Como to th|nk ot |t, you d|d soo somo. 3ut thoy |ookod ||ko b|okos!
18
A tIirt with 1uII in a Rock 'n' RoII Circua
Earth had g|ggod tor just a coup|o ot wooks whon wo oponod tor 1othro 1u||, who woro a|roady
gott|ng vory popu|ar. l thought thoy woro roa||y good, but obv|ous|y thoro was somoth|ng go|ng
on, bocauso dur|ng that g|g tho|r gu|tar p|ayor, V|ck Abrahams, passod th|s noto to lan
Andorson. lt sa|d somoth|ng ||ko: 'l'm |oav|ng', or: '1h|s |s my |ast n|ght'. Attor tho g|g thoy askod
mo |t l'd bo |ntorostod |n jo|n|ng.
l wont: 'Oh, b|oody ho||. l don't know.'
And l d|dn't. l was shockod by |t a||.
On tho way homo |n tho van l sa|d to tho othors: 'l'vo got to to|| you somoth|ng. l'vo boon askod
to jo|n 1othro 1u||. And l don't know what to say.'
1hoy woro roa||y support|vo and sa|d: 'You shou|d go tor |t.'
1u|| got |n touch and l sa|d: 'Wo||, yoah, l'|| g|vo |t a go.'
3ut |t wasn't as s|mp|o as that. 1hoy sa|d: 'You'vo got to como tor an aud|t|on.'
l protostod, but thoy sa|d: 'Como down to london. You'|| bo a|| r|ght.'
l wont down thoro and l wa|kod |nto th|s room and thoro woro so many gu|tar p|ayors trom
known bands thoro that l pan|ckod . . . and wa|kod out aga|n. l know 1ohn, ono ot tho|r crow, trom
h|s t|mo w|th 1on Yoars Attor. |o rushod attor mo and sa|d: 'look horo, don't worry, just go and
s|t |n tho cat across tho road and l'|| como and totch you whon |t's your turn.'
'Wo||, l don't too| comtortab|o w|th th|s.'
3ut ho |ns|stod: 'You'vo got to havo a go, thoy roa||y want you to p|ay.'
3o ho camo and totchod mo trom tho cat. Evorybody was gono by tho t|mo |t was my turn. Wo
d|d a two|vo-bar b|uos and l got to so|o. Wo d|d anothor two or throo jams and thon thoy sa|d:
'You'vo got tho job.'
3otoro l know |t l was |n rohoarsa|s w|th 1othro 1u|| tor tho rocord|ng ot tho|r 5tooo Up a|bum.
1ho song 'l|v|ng ln 1ho last' trom that a|bum wou|d go to lo. 1 |n tho 3r|t|sh charts. l camo up
w|th a coup|o ot tho r|tts tor 'loth|ng ls Easy'.
3ocauso l to|t so out ot p|aco |n london and l roa||y to|t bad about |oav|ng Earth, l took Goozor
down w|th mo tor mora| support. |o wou|d s|t at tho back ot tho room, and thoy woro t|no w|th
that. 1ohn put us up |n h|s t|at and took us to tho rohoarsa|s. 1hoy startod at n|no o'c|ock |n tho
morn|ng sharp. l had novor hoard ot n|no o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng w|th our band, nono ot us had.
W|th Earth wo wou|d just stragg|o |n whonovor wo to|t ||ko |t. 3ut w|th 1u|| |t was: 'Gotta bo thoro,
on t|mo!'
1ho t|rst day wo got thoro maybo ton m|nutos |ato and l cou|d hoar lan Andorson scroam|ng at
1ohn: 'l|no o'c|ock, l sa|d!'
l thought, b|oody ho||, th|s |s a b|t sor|ous. l hadn't ovon p|uggod |n and a|roady tho tons|on was
pa|pab|o. At two|vo o'c|ock sharp |t was: |unch. l just sat down w|th lan at a tab|o. 1ho othors woro
at anothor tab|o wh|spor|ng to mo: 'lo!'
l thought, what's tho mattor w|th thom?
1hoy wont: 'You don't s|t w|th lan. You s|t w|th us.'
'What do you moan?'
'|o ||kos to s|t by h|mso|t. And wo s|t togothor.'
l thought, b|oody ho||, that's a wo|rd sot-up. 1h|s |s supposod to bo a band!
1hat n|ght lan Andorson took mo to soo |roo p|ay at tho Varquoo. |o |ntroducod mo to
ovorybody as h|s now gu|tar p|ayor, so l thought, th|s |s wondortu|. l to|t ||ko a pop star. |rom
bo|ng a nobody trom 3|rm|ngham to poop|o at tho Varquoo tak|ng an |ntorost - |t soomod groat.
Wo watchod |roo tor a b|t and |ott oar|y. lohoarsa| aga|n tho noxt morn|ng, n|no o'c|ock. And
don't bo |ato!
3ut |t just d|dn't too| good. 1ho th|ng that put tho na|| |n tho cott|n tor mo was a moot|ng w|th tho
band's managor. |o sa|d: 'You'|| got 2b a wook and you aro roa||y |ucky to havo th|s pos|t|on.'
1hat p|ssod mo ott. l sa|d: 'What do you moan l'm roa||y |ucky? 1hoy want mo bocauso thoy
||ko what l p|ay, not bocauso ot |uck!'
Attor that l thought: l want to bo a part ot a band that's go|ng to mako |t a|| togothor, not bo put
|n a band whoro thoy'vo a|roady mado |t and l'm '|ucky to bo |n thoro'. l wont back to tho
rohoarsa| room and sa|d to lan: 'Can l havo a word w|th you?'
Wo wont outs|do and l sa|d: 'l don't too| comtortab|o about th|s who|o th|ng.'
|o sa|d: 'What's wrong?'
'l'm not happy w|th tho s|tuat|on. And l don't too| r|ght about bo|ng |ucky' to bo |n a band and
a|| th|s sort ot stutt.'
lan was groat, l can't tau|t h|m at a||, ho was vory n|co about tho who|o th|ng. |o sa|d: 'look, |t
you aro dot|n|to|y suro you want to |oavo . . .'
'Wo||, l am.'
'Wo'ro |n troub|o now, bocauso wo'ro do|ng th|s t||m, 7bo Ro||log 5tooos Rock ooo Ro||
Cltcos, and wo don't havo a gu|tar p|ayor. Wou|d you do that at |oast?'
l to|t bad wa|k|ng out on thom, so l sa|d: 'Yos, l'|| do that.'
And that was |t. As soon as l camo out ot that |ast rohoarsa| l sa|d to Goozor: 'lot's got tho
band back togothor.'
|o sa|d: 'Aro you suro about |oav|ng 1u||? You ought to g|vo |t t|mo.' |o was push|ng mo, but
thon ho sa|d: 'l'm g|ad you'ro not do|ng |t.'
l sa|d: 'lot's mako a propor go ot |t. 0o what thoy'ro do|ng: rohoarso |n tho morn|ng, roa||y got
down to |t.'
|o agrood. 3o wo phonod tho othors trom london and mado a p|an to got back togothor.
l st||| had to do th|s Ro||log 5tooos Rock ooo Ro|| Cltcos. 1ho opon|ng ot tho who|o th|ng was
|n tho 0orchostor |oto|. 1horo was mo w|th tho samo bucksk|n jackot aga|n. l woro |t tor tho t||m
as wo||. 1ho 3tonos had a|| tho|r goar sot up on tho t|oor ot a ba||room. 1ho Who woro thoro and
1aj Vaha| and a|| tho poop|o who woro |n tho mov|o, but l d|dn't know a sou| and to|t ||ko a sparo
d|nnor. Var|anno |a|thtu|| must havo sonsod that, sho camo ovor and wont: 'You'|| bo a|| r|ght, l'||
ta|k to you.'
And so sho d|d, sho was groat.
1ho 3tonos startod p|ay|ng but w|th|n a m|nuto or so thoy stoppod. 1hoy startod argu|ng and
had tho b|ggost row. 1ho who|o room wont qu|ot. 3r|an 1onos and Ko|th l|chards woro
scroam|ng at oach othor: 'You aro tuck|ng out ot tuno, you tuck|ng . . .'
3ocauso ho was w|th Var|anno |a|thtu||, V|ck 1aggor camo ovor to us, say|ng: '1hoy can't
ovon tuck|ng tuno tho|r tuck|ng gu|tars.'
lt was a suro s|gn ot troub|os to como.
1ho noxt day wo t||mod |n a b|g warohouso somowhoro. 1hoy had a stago sot up and
somoth|ng that |ookod ||ko a c|rcus r|ng. 1hoy wantod poop|o to dross up |n s|||y hats and c|rcus
stutt, wh|ch soomod r|d|cu|ous to mo. Evon Er|c C|apton sa|d: 'l too| tuck|ng s|||y woar|ng th|s
stup|d th|ng.'
1hoy gavo mo th|s b|oody c|ar|not and wo a|| had to como out protond|ng to p|ay as wo woro
go|ng around tho r|ng. C|apton, 1ho Who and 1ohn lonnon - ovorybody had to go around th|s
th|ng. Attor wo a|| d|d that l don't know how many t|mos to got |t r|ght, poop|o startod chatt|ng and
|t got a b|t moro comtortab|o.
Wo woro a|| oagor|y awa|t|ng tho much ant|c|patod jam w|th C|apton, lonnon, V|tch V|tcho||,
and Ko|th l|chards p|ay|ng bass. l sa|d to lan Andorson: 'l'm roa||y |ook|ng torward to soo|ng
C|apton p|ay.'
1hoy startod jamm|ng on th|s |nstrumonta| th|ng, b|oody Yoko s|tt|ng at 1ohn's toot, and thoy
woron't good at a||. 3o lan sa|d: 'What do you th|nk ot your horo now thon!?'
Wo sharod a dross|ng room w|th 1ho Who, so that was my t|rst t|mo moot|ng thom. 1hoy woro
n|co onough and whon thoy startod to p|ay thoy woro roa||y good. l was comp|oto|y surpr|sod
whon l hoard loto 1ownshond p|ay|ng |oad, bocauso you novor norma||y hoard h|m do that vory
much and ho p|ayod groat.
lot ovorybody p|ayod tor roa|, wo d|d '3ong |or 1ottroy'. lan Andorson got th|s hat and ho
sa|d: '1ry that on.'
l sa|d: 'lt |ooks a|| r|ght', but l to|t protty ombarrassod and kopt my hoad down wh||o l was
p|ay|ng so poop|o cou|dn't soo mo.
lt was agos botoro that ovor camo out. l bumpod |nto 3||| Wyman two or throo t|mos and ho
sa|d: 'Oh yoah, l'|| got you a copy ot that tor you.'
|o novor d|d, so l novor saw |t unt|| yoars |ator and |t was horr|b|o. lt's so out ot dato. 3ut |t's a
c|ass|c now, ha|t tho poop|o who woro |n that show aro doad. 1horo's 1ohn lonnon, Ko|th Voon,
3r|an 1onos and V|tch V|tcho|| . . . |t's a lock 'n' lo|| C|rcus, a|| r|ght.
14
1ho oarIy birda catch tho tirat aonga
Attor l camo back trom london l sa|d to tho rost ot tho band: 'lt wo'ro go|ng to do th|s, wo'ro
go|ng to do |t sor|ous|y and roa||y work at |t, start|ng w|th rohoarsa|s at n|no o'c|ock |n tho
morn|ng. 3harp!'
Wo bookod a p|aco |n tho lowtown Commun|ty Contro |n Aston, across tho road trom a
c|noma, and startod a who|o now rog|mo. l'd p|ck ovorybody up to mako suro that wo got thoro
on t|mo. Goozor d|dn't ||vo that tar away, so ho'd wa|k down. Occas|ona||y ho'd bo a ||tt|o b|t |ato,
but on avorago wo woro thoro at a sons|b|o hour to start work. And that's whon wo bogan wr|t|ng
our own songs. 'W|ckod Wor|d' and '3|ack 3abbath' woro tho t|rst two that woro wr|tton dur|ng
thoso rohoarsa|s. Wo know wo had somoth|ng, you cou|d too| |t, tho ha|rs stood up on your arms,
|t just to|t so d|ttoront. Wo d|dn't know what |t was, but wo ||kod |t. l just camo up w|th th|s r|tt tor
'3|ack 3abbath'. l p|ayod 'dom-dom-dommm'. And |t was ||ko: that's |t! Wo bu||t tho song trom
thoro. As soon as l p|ayod that t|rst r|tt wo wont: 'Oh God, that's roa||y groat. 3ut what |s |t? l don't
know!'
1ust a s|mp|o th|ng but |t had a mood. On|y |ator d|d l |oarn that l had usod what thoy ca|| tho
0ov||'s |ntorva|, a chord progross|on that was so dark that |n tho V|dd|o Agos p|ay|ng |t was
torb|ddon by tho Church. l had no |doa, |t was just somoth|ng that l had to|t |ns|do. lt was a|most
||ko |t had boon torcod out ot mo, thoso th|ngs woro com|ng up just ||ko that. 1hon ovorybody
startod putt|ng b|ts to |t and attorwards wo thought |t was amaz|ng. loa||y strango, but good. Wo
woro a|| shockod, but wo know that wo had somoth|ng thoro.
Goozor was go|ng to bo an accountant. 1hat's why ho had tho job ot sort|ng a|| tho monoy out
ovory t|mo wo had a g|g. |o was tho c|ovor ono, so |t was h|m that camo up w|th tho |yr|cs as
wo||. l corta|n|y wou|dn't bo ab|o to s|t down and wr|to stutt and 3||| wou|d bo on |t tor twonty yoars
to wr|to ono ||no. Ozzy wou|d como up w|th tho voca| mo|ody ||no. |o'd just s|ng what camo |nto
h|s hoad and so |t m|ght vory wo|| havo boon that ho sang: 'What |s th|s that stands botoro mo' at
tho t|mo. Goozor wou|d thon uso that and put tho rost ot tho |yr|cs |n. 3o both ot thom roa||y wou|d
como up w|th stutt.
3ack thon wo d|d a |ot ot dopo. Ono n|ght wo woro at th|s c|ub, |n tho m|dd|o ot nowhoro. Ozzy
and Goozor saw somobody |oap|ng around outs|do, bo|ng s|||y. 1o thom |t was ||ko an o|t or
somoth|ng. l toar |t must havo boon tho drugs, but that's whoro l th|nk '1ho W|zard' camo trom,
anothor ono ot thoso oar|y songs. 1hoy s|mp|y put what thoy saw |nto |yr|cs.1hoso t|rst songs aro
otton doscr|bod as scary. l ||kod horror t||ms and so d|d Goozor. Wo usod to go to tho c|noma
across tho stroot trom our rohoarsa| p|aco to soo thom, so maybo |t was somoth|ng that
subconsc|ous|y d|roctod us to that sort ot th|ng. l know thoro |s a 3or|s Kar|ott mov|o ca||od
B|ock 5obbotb, but wo novor saw |t at that t|mo. Goozor camo up w|th tho namo 3|ack 3abbath
and |t just soundod ||ko a good ono to uso.
Wo a|ways thought thoro was somoth|ng thoro that |od us |nto th|s mus|c that wo woro p|ay|ng.
l p|ayod that '3|ack 3abbath' r|tt stra|ght ott, dang-dng-dang, and that was |t. lt just camo up, as
a |ot ot my r|tts havo. lt was ||ko somobody was thoro, say|ng: 'l|ay that!'
3omoth|ng or somobody was prov|d|ng |doas and gu|danco trom somo othor d|mons|on, ||ko
an |nv|s|b|o t|tth band mombor . . .
15
Earth to BIack 5abbath
Whon wo p|ayod noar Car||s|o at tho 1oo 3ar, thoy a|ways put us up |n a caravan. ln w|ntor |t was
so co|d wo burnod tho turn|turo to koop warm. Ono day wo turnod up at th|s g|g |n Vanchostor
and thoro was a guy on tho door woar|ng a su|t and a bow t|o. Wo thought, th|s |s wo|rd tor a
b|uos c|ub. |o sa|d: 'Oh, you'ro Earth, como |n.'
ln wo wont and ho sa|d: 'l roa||y ||ko your now s|ng|o.'
'Oh, thanks!'
Wo d|dn't havo a s|ng|o out at tho t|mo, but wo took no not|co, got a|| tho goar |n and sot up.
1hon wo saw a|| thoso poop|o com|ng |n |n bow t|os, su|ts and ba||room drossos and wo
roa||sod thoy had bookod tho wrong band. Wo soon tound out that thoro was anothor Earth, and
that was a pop band. 1ho managor caught on to us but sa|d: 'You m|ght as wo|| go on and p|ay.'
Wo p|ayod ono song and ovorybody out thoro, a|| oxpoct|ng to danco, was go|ng: 'What |s th|s
crap!'
1hoy pu||od us ott. 1hon tho managor wou|dn't pay us, so wo n|ckod tho toa urn, wo took tho
rug out ot tho back ot tho dross|ng room, wo took kn|vos and torks, wo took whatovor wo cou|d.
And wo sa|d to oach othor: '1hat's |t, wo'ro novor go|ng through th|s aga|n. Wo nood to como up
w|th a namo that nobody o|so has.'
1|m 3|mpson camo up w|th |rod Carno's Army. |uck|ng ho||, |t was gott|ng worso! |rod
Carno was somo o|d-t|mo mus|c ha|| |mprosar|o who had workod w|th Char||o Chap||n and 3tan
lauro|. Ozzy's |doa was 1|mmy Undorpass and tho 3|x Way Combo. 3o much tor that. Goozor
camo up w|th 3|ack 3abbath and |t just soundod ||ko a good namo to uso.
1|m 3|mpson got us our t|rst g|gs |n Europo. 1ho vory t|rst tr|p ovor thoro, wo p|ckod up Ozzy
and ho showod up w|th just a sh|rt on a hangor. Wo sa|d to h|m: 'Wo'ro go|ng away, you know.'
'l know.'
'Wo'ro go|ng to bo away tor a tow wooks.'
'l know.'
|o on|y had ono sh|rt and ono pa|r ot joans, and that was |t.
On our way ovor thoro wo doc|dod to chango our namo. Or maybo |t was |n ono ot tho t|rst
c|ubs wo p|ayod, tho tamous 3tar C|ub |n |amburg. lt ho|d 400 or b00 poop|o. 3ocauso thoy had
us back a tow t|mos wo woro ab|o to bu||d a to||ow|ng and wo ondod up ho|d|ng tho attondanco
rocord thoro, attor 1ho 3oat|os.
lt was attor tho 1othro 1u|| th|ng and |nsp|rod by lan Andorson that l had bought a t|uto and tr|od
to p|ay |t on stago. Wo woro smok|ng dopo thoro a |ot and l was protty p|o-oyod. l ho|d tho t|uto
way too |ow so l was just b|ow|ng a|r |nto tho m|crophono. Ozzy wont backstago and grabbod
th|s groat b|g m|rror, brought |t out to tho stago and put |t |n tront ot mo. |o tappod mo on tho
shou|dor and l wont: 'Ooohh!!'
Anothor h|gh po|nt camo whon Ozzy tound th|s t|n ot purp|o pa|nt and ho pa|ntod h|s taco w|th
|t. 1horo was a b|g |addor boh|nd tho stago and ho c||mbod to tho top ot |t unt|| h|s hoad was
ovor tho curta|ns and a|| you cou|d soo was th|s purp|o hoad popp|ng up ovor tho backdrop.
Crazy stutt ||ko that ho|pod us ma|nta|n whatovor san|ty wo had.
Wo d|d a coup|o ot Europoan tours |n thoso oar|y days. 1ho t|rst ono took us to |amburg,
0onmark and 3wodon, and to||ow|ng tours a|so saw us travo| to 3w|tzor|and, whoro wo p|ayod |n
3t Ga||on tor s|x wooks. Wo p|ayod thoro tor maybo throo poop|o, tour or t|vo spots a day. A||
wo'd got wou|d bo a g|ass ot m||k and a sausago. lo monoy: wo woro povorty-str|ckon. Goozor
was a vogotar|an, but ho had to oat tho sausagos bocauso wo d|dn't havo any monoy to buy h|m
any othor tood. Wo a|| stayod |n th|s ono room abovo th|s cato across tho road trom whoro wo
p|ayod. lt you woron't |n on t|mo thoy'd |ock you out. Ono n|ght mo and Ozzy wont ott w|th thoso
two g|r|s and stayod w|th thom. Goozor camo back trom somowhoro and cou|dn't got |n, so 3|||
t|od shoots togothor, try|ng to pu|| Goozor up. As thoy woro do|ng th|s tho po||co camo by. lt took
qu|to somo oxp|a|n|ng |n two d|ttoront |anguagos to sort that ono out.
Wo thon movod on to Zur|ch. Whon wo arr|vod thoro tho p|aco was packod. 1h|s band was up
thoro p|ay|ng away, |ook|ng happy and thoy ovon had champagno. Wo thought, th|s |s
marvo||ous, wo'|| havo somo! l|tt|o d|d wo know thoy had boon thoro tor s|x wooks and |t was
tho|r |ast n|ght. A|| thoso poop|o woro thoro soo|ng thom ott, so |t was a b|g party n|ght. As soon
as wo startod tho p|aco was doad. Wo wont, wa|t a m|nuto, what happonod? Whoro's a|| tho
poop|o? 1hoy had th|s ono nuttor com|ng |n ovory day. |o'd stand on h|s hoad, a|| h|s monoy
wou|d ta|| out ot h|s pockot, ho'd p|ck |t up aga|n and |oavo. And thoro was th|s o|d hookor s|tt|ng
at tho cornor by tho bar and that was |t.
3ocauso |t was dosortod anyway, wo startod mak|ng stutt up. And wo thought, hang on, |t 3|||
doos a drum so|o tor ono sot and l do a gu|tar so|o tor tho noxt sot, tho othor guys can havo a
rost. 1hat was groat tor a coup|o ot days but ot courso thoy caught on. 0ur|ng 3|||'s so|o tho
ownor's daughtor camo up and sa|d: '3hut that no|so! Wo'ro pay|ng tor you to p|ay, not a|| th|s!'
lt was a roa||y gr|m p|aco. Wo a|| s|opt |n ono room, togothor w|th a bunch ot rats. 1ho ownor ot
tho c|ub had takon our passports, so wo cou|dn't got out. lt was ||ko s|avory, w|th us p|ay|ng t|vo
torty-t|vo-m|nuto spots and sovon on tho wookonds w|th hard|y any pay. 3ut wo d|d havo a |ot ot
|aughs, a|so bocauso wo had tho occas|ona| jo|nt. And 3||| smokod banana sk|ns. |o usod to
oat tho banana, scrapo a|| tho ros|duo ott tho sk|n, put |t on to a p|oco ot t|n to||, put that |n tho
ovon, cook |t and thon smoko |t. |o c|a|mod |t got h|m h|gh, thought |t was groat and was roa||y
proud ot |t.
'What's 3||| do|ng?'
'Oh, ho's cook|ng h|s banana sk|n.'
10
BIack 5abbath rocorda BIack 5abbath
Whon wo p|ayod at |onry's 3|uos |ouso wo had mus|c bus|noss poop|o com|ng to soo us. Wo
wont to london to p|ay at tho 3poakoasy onco tor that roason as wo||, Chrysa||s camo down to
chock us out, but tho p|aco was ompty and tho g|g was d|sma|. lt was a|| to try and got a doa|.
Wo got turnod down, but that wasn't tho ond ot tho wor|d. You'vo got to st|ck to what you bo||ovo
|n, just carry on and don't chango bocauso you th|nk that's what poop|o want. 1hat's how
somoth|ng now comos up. 0o|ng what ovorybody o|so |s do|ng |s tho oasy way out, you'vo got to
do your own th|ng.
1ony |a|| camo to |onry's 3|uos |ouso, ||kod what wo woro do|ng and wantod to s|gn us. |o
had boon qu|to a wo||-known 01 or|g|na||y and ho now ran 1ony |a|| Entorpr|sos, whatovor that
moant. Wo s|gnod w|th that company, wh|ch |n turn s|gnod us to tho |ontana |abo|. l'm suro thoy
d|d vory wo|| out ot that doa|. Wo on|y saw h|m on a tow occas|ons attorwards. |o turnod up
onco at 7op o tbo Pops, but l havon't soon h|m s|nco. Anothor t|guro trom thoso oar|y days was
0av|d l|atz, who s|gnod us to Essox Vus|c. lt was a crap doa| but l'vo boon to|d thoy a|| woro
back thon. Anyway, ho corta|n|y mado a tow bob ott us. On vory raro occas|ons, wo'd go and
soo h|m. 3trango, ho had a button that ho'd push that oponod a door to a socrot room boh|nd h|s
dosk. |o managod to surv|vo a |ong t|mo. lrobab|y thanks to that room. Attor gott|ng a propor
rocord company, |t was t|mo to rocord our t|rst a|bum. Wo roco|vod 100 oach tor our ottorts,
wh|ch to us was a |ot ot monoy, but ot courso wo wou|d g|ad|y havo dono |t tor troo. |av|ng an
a|bum out thoro wou|d moan that poop|o cou|d hoar us. Wo rocordod a coup|o ot domos |n tho
autumn ot 1000, '1ho lobo|' and '3ong |or 1|m'. '1ho lobo|' was a song that lorman |a|nos
trom 1|m 3|mpson's band had wr|tton, and 1|m wantod us to do |t. And l can't ovon romombor
how '3ong |or 1|m' goos, but wo namod |t attor h|m as a b|t ot a joko. Wo t|rst aud|t|onod tor
Gus 0udgoon, a|roady a wo||-known producor at tho t|mo, at tho 1r|dont 3tud|os |n london. Wo
d|dn't soo oyo to oyo w|th h|m at a|| and ho turnod us down.
A coup|o ot days |ator wo had a g|g |n Work|ngton and that's whoro Ozzy announcod our
namo chango to tho aud|onco. lt wasn't a b|g doa|, wo d|dn't havo a co|obrat|on or anyth|ng, wo
just changod tho namo to 3|ack 3abbath. And our t|rst 3|ack 3abbath g|g was on 80 August
1000, but as tar as l'm concornod tho band has boon togothor s|nco 1008. l a|ways torgot about
tho tact that wo woro t|rst ca||od Earth, to mo tho tour ot us gott|ng togothor |s tho on|y th|ng ot
|mportanco.
3y that t|mo wo a|roady p|ayod '1ho W|zard', '3|ack 3abbath', 'l.l.3.' and 'Warn|ng', bas|ca||y
tho songs ot what wou|d bocomo our t|rst a|bum. Wo d|dn't want to p|ay othor poop|o's stutt any
moro. A two|vo-bar b|uos |n tho m|dd|o ot a|| our now songs just d|dn't sound r|ght any moro
anyway, bocauso our own stutt was so d|ttoront. lovortho|oss, wo d|d rocord 'Ev|| Woman', a
covor ot an Amor|can h|t by 1ho Crows. 1|m 3|mpson wantod us to do that bocauso ho sa|d:
'Wo nood somoth|ng commorc|a|.'
Wo ro|uctant|y agrood to |t, but th|ngs woro chang|ng our way a|roady, bocauso dur|ng that
samo soss|on wo a|so rocordod our own song '1ho W|zard'. 3|mpson usod thoso domos to got
d|sc jockoy 1ohn loo| |ntorostod |n us. ln lovombor wo p|ayod h|s show 7op Ooot, portorm|ng
'3|ack 3abbath', 'l.l.3.', '3oh|nd 1ho Wa|| Ot 3|oop' and '3|oop|ng v|||ago'. Wo woro on
nat|ona| rad|o. 1h|ngs startod to movo, th|ngs woro happon|ng!
Wo d|dn't chooso to rocord w|th producor lodgor 3a|n, ho was choson tor us. Wo mot up w|th
h|m botorohand and wo ||kod h|m, ho soomod ||ko a n|co onough guy. |o was as groon as wo
woro, and ho hadn't dono much botoro. |o was |n h|s oar|y twont|os, just ||ko us, maybo a b|t
o|dor. 3o|ng tho producor, lodgor was ovorsoo|ng tho who|o th|ng. |o was good to havo
around, but wo d|dn't roa||y got a |ot ot adv|co trom h|m. |o maybo suggostod a coup|o ot th|ngs,
but tho songs woro a|roady ta|r|y structurod and sortod.
Our road|o, luko, drovo our goar to tho logont 3ound stud|o ott 1ottonham Court load |n
london on 10 Octobor 1000, and put up tho amps. 1ho stud|o wasn't much b|ggor than a sma||
||v|ng room and wo'ro a|| |n thoro p|ay|ng away, w|th part|t|ons botwoon us and 3|||. Ozzy was
s|ng|ng |n a ||tt|o booth at tho samo t|mo as tho band p|ayod. Evoryth|ng was portormod just ||ko
a ||vo band. lt was tho most |mportant th|ng wo had ovor dono, so wo woro a|| protty wo|| on tho
caso.
l had novor boon |n a stud|o botoro and d|dn't know anyth|ng about rocord|ng and whoro to put
m|crophonos or anyth|ng. 3y tho samo tokon, l th|nk |t must havo boon hard tor lodgor 3a|n and
ong|noor 1om A||om to como |n and work w|th us just ||ko that. 1wo guys who had novor travo||od
w|th us, d|d not know what wo woro ||ko, d|d not know what wo soundod ||ko, but camo |n and
suddon|y woro add|ng tho|r th|ng to |t. 1ho b|ggost prob|om wo'vo a|ways had |s oxp|a|n|ng to tho
poop|o who rocordod us how wo havo our sound sot up. Vy gu|tar and Goozor's bass havo to
vory much agroo w|th oach othor, to mako tho wa|| ot sound. A|| ot thom just soo a bass as a
bass, dumm-dum-dumm, c|oan and noat. 3ut Goozor's sound |s moro crunchy, moro raw, and
ho susta|ns stutt and ho bonds notos tho samo as tho gu|tar, to mako |t tattor. 3omo ot thom
wou|d try to got h|m to tako tho d|stort|on away, and |t wou|d bo ||ko tum-tum-tum.
'|uck|ng |oavo |t! lt's a part ot our sound!'
lt took a |ot ot conv|nc|ng tor poop|o to undorstand that. 1hoy'd a|ways soparato tho sounds as
wo||. 1hoy'd hoar tho gu|tar on |ts own and go: 'Oh, |t's so d|stortod!'
'l know! 3ut p|ay |t a|| togothor as a band and soo what |t sounds ||ko!'
loop|o cou|dn't grasp that wo woro a band that soundod good togothor, no mattor how an
|nd|v|dua| p|ayor soundod. lodgor 3a|n undorstood |t to a po|nt, wh|ch |s why thoso oar|y a|bums
wo d|d w|th h|m havo a vory p|uggod-|n sound. lt was bas|ca||y a caso ot what you soo |s what
you got: wo just wa|kod |n, p|uggod |n and p|ayod, thank you and good n|ght. And that was |t,
thoro wasn't much t|dd||ng around w|th tho sounds wo had. 1ho drums as wo||, thoy woro just
m|c'd up and ott wo wont, g|v|ng |t that roa|, honost sound. And that was tho sound that took ott.
Evoryth|ng was dono vory qu|ck|y. Wo thought, b|oody ho||, wo'vo got a who|o day to rocord
thoso tracks, groat, that's tuck|ng br||||ant! lator l hoard lod Zoppo||n spont a wook rocord|ng
tho|r t|rst a|bum, but thoy woro moro oxpor|oncod than us. 1hoy had 1|mmy lago who had
rocordod w|th 1ho Yardb|rds and God knows who o|so botoro that. |o had boon |n and out ot
stud|os, but wo corta|n|y hadn't, so wo d|dn't havo a c|uo.
Wo d|d a track ca||od 'Warn|ng', w|th a |ong gu|tar so|o. 3ocauso |t was such a |ong song you
had to capturo |t |n ono tako, or o|so wo'd run out ot t|mo. Attor tho t|rst ono, lodgor sa|d: 'Okay,
that's |t.'
'Wo||, l wantod to try somoth|ng o|so . . .'
'1hat's |t!'
'Can wo do |t just onco moro? l th|nk l can got |t bottor.'
Evontua||y lodgor sa|d: 'Okay, wo'|| do anothor ono.'
3o wo had anothor crack at |t and that was |t: tako |t or |oavo |t.
1hat who|o a|bum was dono oxact|y ||ko that: p|ay ||ko you p|ay at a g|g. You p|ay |t onco, you
don't havo ton goos at |t. As wo p|ayod |t |n tho stud|o thon, 'Warn|ng' was t|ttoon m|nutos or
somoth|ng r|d|cu|ous. lodgor and tho ong|noor od|tod |t down to about ton m|nutos. 1hoy cut a
b|g soct|on and p|uckod out a coup|o ot sma||or p|ocos |n p|acos l wou|dn't havo od|tod. l was
upsot bocauso l to|t |t or|g|na||y had a moro natura| t|ow, but you havo to havo a corta|n |ongth tor
a v|ny| a|bum and maybo a t|ttoon-m|nuto p|oco was too much.
1ho tunny th|ng |s, attor wo put a song ||ko that down on rocord |t bocamo tho vors|on wo
wou|d p|ay trom thon onwards. lt gots accoptod ||ko that. 3o torty yoars |ator wo'ro st|||
roproduc|ng on stago what wo happonod to do |n tho stud|o on that part|cu|ar day. Whon wo
rocordod 'E|octr|c |unora|', tor |nstanco, 3||| wou|d p|ay |t d|ttoront|y ovory b|oody t|mo. |o d|dn't
know how many t|mos to como |n, and |n corta|n parts ho p|ays throo |nstoad ot tour and wo kopt
tho throo. And to th|s day wo st||| p|ay |t that way.
A |ot ot poop|o th|nk 'l.l.3.' stands tor lat|v|ty ln 3|ack, whatovor that moans. lt's a typ|ca||y
Amor|can th|ng, thoy a|ways havo to go: 'Oh, |t's gotta bo somoth|ng satan|c!'
Wo ca||od 3||| '3mo||y' and wo a|so ca||od h|m 'l|b', bocauso w|th h|s board h|s taco |ookod
||ko a pon n|b. lt just soundod humorous to us and whon |t camo to tho t|t|o ot tho track wo sa|d:
'What sha|| wo ca|| |t?'
'Uh . . . l|b?'
lt was just a joko.
l |ovod my wh|to |ondor 3tratocastor, bocauso l'd workod on |t so much. l had |t |n b|ts and put
|t a|| back togothor aga|n, l pottod tho p|ckups, t||od tho trots down on |t and bas|ca||y d|d
ovoryth|ng to try and mako |t oas|or tor mo to p|ay on. Ono tatotu| day l bought a G|bson 3G as a
backup gu|tar. 1wo gu|tars: |t was gott|ng a b|t t|ash, roa||y! ln tho stud|o, r|ght attor rocord|ng tho
t|rst track ot tho day, 'W|ckod Wor|d', tho b|oody p|ckup wont on tho |ondor. l thought, oh God,
l'm go|ng to havo to uso tho 3G, wh|ch l novor roa||y p|ayod! l rocordod tho a|bum w|th |t and that
was |t, l just stuck to |t. l actua||y swappod tho 3trat tor a saxophono. l can't bo||ovo l d|d that now.
1hat was a c|ass|c gu|tar and |t roa||y had a d|ttoront sound trom tho rogu|ar 3trats bocauso ot a||
tho work l d|d to |t. Yoars |ator, Goozor saw |t |n tho w|ndow ot a socond-hand shop and wont
back to buy |t tor mo. 3ut |t had boon so|d and l'vo novor soon |t aga|n.
lt was a r|ght-handod G|bson 3G that l p|ayod ups|do down. 1hon l mot th|s guy who sa|d: 'l'vo
got a tr|ond who |s r|ght-handod, and ho p|ays a |ott-handod gu|tar ups|do down.'
l sa|d: 'You'ro k|dd|ng!'
l mot th|s guy, wo swappod gu|tars and wo woro both happy. 1ho G|bson 3G had s|ng|o-co||
p|ckups wh|ch, bocauso l usod a trob|o boostor, causod a horrondous rackot:
'3hghghghghghghggg!!!'
l thon pottod and oncasod tho p|ckups and |ator on l put |n d|ttoront onos a|togothor. l was
t|dd||ng about w|th tho gu|tar aga|n, do|ng tho stutt l had dono to tho 3trat. 1hat 3G was vory doar
to mo, but l don't havo |t any moro. lt's boon put out to pasturo at tho |ard lock Cato. 3ut tho
doa| |s, |t l ovor want |t back, l can got |t back.
Wo d|dn't havo tho t|mo to got |nvo|vod w|th tho t|na| m|x ot tho a|bum, bocauso wo woro ott to
tour Europo. 1horo roa||y wasn't a |ot to m|x anyway, |t was rocordod on just tour tracks, |t d|dn't
havo hundrods ot drums on |t or ovordubs, so |t was roa||y vory bas|c. lodgor 3a|n and 1om
A||om d|d add tho bo||s and tho thundor and ||ghtn|ng at tho bog|nn|ng ot B|ock 5obbotb. Ono ot
thom got somo sound-ottoct tapos and sa|d: 'What about putt|ng thoso on |t?'
Wo wont: 'Oh yoah, that's groat!'
3ocauso |t |s, |t roa||y sots tho mood tor that track.
Wo d|dn't havo anyth|ng to do w|th tho covor art. 1ho photo was takon at tho Vap|odurham
Watorm|||. Wo woron't thoro whon |t was takon, but wo d|d moot tho g|r| toaturod |n tho p|cturo.
3ho camo to a g|g onco and |ntroducod horso|t. l thought |t was a good covor, roa||y d|ttoront.
3ut |ns|do tho gatoto|d s|oovo you havo tho |nvortod cross, wh|ch oponod a|| sorts ot cans ot
worms tor us. Wo woro suddon|y satan|c thon.
3ut most ot tho oxc|tomont wo to|t at tho t|mo had noth|ng to do w|th that. Wo woro just happy
to havo an a|bum.
17
Now undor now managomont
1ho rocord company sw|tchod us trom |ontana to ono ot tho|r othor |abo|s, vort|go locords.
1hoy pushod |t moro bocauso |t was a now |abo| w|th moro progross|vo acts. 3ut wo d|dn't havo
a |ot ot contact w|th thom, thoy on|y wantod to ta|k to tho managor. At |oast, that's what wo woro
to|d. 3omot|mos you'd soo poop|o trom tho |abo| turn up, but you wou|dn't know who thoy woro.
1ho markot|ng poop|o mado suro tho a|bum camo out on |r|day tho 18th, |obruary 1070. Wo
d|d |ntorv|ows around tho ro|oaso, but that ondod attor latr|ck Voohan took ovor managomont
trom 1|m 3|mpson. |o stoppod us do|ng pross, bocauso us bo|ng unava||ab|o tor |ntorv|ows
mado |t moro ot a spoc|a| th|ng. Wo hard|y had any rad|o p|ay bocauso tho on|y ono who p|ayod
us was 1ohn loo|. Evon so tho a|bum so|d b,000 cop|os |n tho t|rst wook attor ro|oaso thanks to
undorground word ot mouth, ospoc|a||y |n tho p|acos |n wh|ch wo had bu||t up a to||ow|ng by
p|ay|ng ||vo.
1ho pross hatod us, and wo got s|aggod |ott, r|ght and contro. You obv|ous|y got concornod,
but |t's not ||ko wo thought, oh, wo'ro go|ng to chango tho mus|c thon. 1ho a|bum was so|||ng, so
obv|ous|y wo'd dono somoth|ng r|ght. Wo bo||ovod |n what wo d|d and wo |ovod |t, so thoro was
noth|ng o|so wo cou|d do apart trom carry on w|th what wo woro do|ng.
On|y whon grungo bocamo popu|ar, and a|| thoso mus|c|ans sa|d that 3|ack 3abbath was a
groat |nt|uonco, d|d wo bocomo tho t|avour ot tho month, or t|avour ot tho t|mo. 3o horo wo woro,
road|ng good th|ngs about ourso|vos, go|ng: '|ang on, what happonod? 1hoy can't wr|to good
th|ngs!' 3ocauso wo a|ways sa|d: 'As soon as thoy start wr|t|ng good th|ngs about us, wo bottor
g|vo up.'
1ho s|ng|o 'Ev|| Woman' d|dn't do much, but tho a|bum wont to lo. 8. 1|m 3|mpson had
bookod us a |ot ot g|gs botoro |t camo out and wo woro st||| honour|ng thom tor somoth|ng ||ko
20, noxt to noth|ng. Wo sa|d to h|m: '|ang on, how many moro ot thoso g|gs aro wo go|ng to bo
do|ng?'
'Oh, wo'vo got months ot thoso to go.'
lt was gott|ng s|||y. Evon tho poop|o who ran tho c|ubs wo p|ayod at woro go|ng: 'You shou|d bo
gott|ng moro than th|s! What aro you do|ng p|ay|ng horo?'
Wo thought, wo||, tuck th|s, wo'vo dono onough! 3o whon hoavywo|ght managor 0on Ardon
ca||od, to|||ng us ho was |ntorostod |n work|ng w|th us, wo wont up to london to soo h|m. W||t
l|no p|ckod us up |n a lo||s-loyco. W||t was a n|co b|oko whon you know h|m, but, on tho othor
hand, ho was qu|to v|c|ous. |uck|ng ho||, l'vo hoard tasty stor|os about what ho d|d tor 0on
Ardon. Evoryth|ng |ookod roa||y hoavy around 0on. You saw |ots ot gangstor-||ko charactors
t|oat|ng about. Wo got to h|s ott|co and |t was a b|t ovorpowor|ng, w|th 0on go|ng: 'You'ro go|ng
to bo groat. You'ro go|ng to havo b|||boards up ovorywhoro. l'm go|ng to got you to tho top!'
And so on. |o wont: '3|gn horo!'
Wo just cou|dn't do that. lt was a|| too bombard|ng. 3o wo camo away, th|nk|ng, oh God, what
aro wo go|ng to do now? |o'|| probab|y havo us k|||od! |o kopt gott|ng |n touch w|th us,
arrang|ng to tako us out to d|nnor and a|| that sort ot bus|noss. |o novor |ot go. 1hon ono day,
W||t got |n touch. |o sa|d: 'l'vo got anothor guy that wants to moot you. l'm go|ng to br|ng h|m up
to 3|rm|ngham.'
lt was latr|ck Voohan. |o soomod a |ot ca|mor than Ardon and sa|d tho th|ngs wo wantod to
hoar: 'You'vo got an a|bum out, nobody |s push|ng tho rocord. You shou|d got bottor g|gs . . .'
A|| that stutt soundod good to our oars. lnstoad ot bo|ng up on b|||boards, wo just wantod to bo
out p|ay|ng. |o just had tho r|ght way about |t at tho t|mo, so wo ondod up s|gn|ng w|th latr|ck
Voohan.
look|ng back at |t now |t was qu|to strango that W||t, who workod tor Ardon, wou|d suggost
Voohan to us. W||t probab|y thought, oh wo||, thoy don't want 0on but maybo thoy'ro |ntorostod |n
latr|ck. Wh|ch wo woro. 3ut wo d|dn't know how c|oso tho ro|at|onsh|p botwoon Ardon and
Voohan roa||y was. ln tho past latr|ck Voohan's dad had workod tor 0on Ardon, so thoro
corta|n|y was a connoct|on.
W||t wroto a book a tow yoars ago. 1horo's a p|cturo ot mo and h|m |n |t, and thon on tho othor
s|do ot tho pago thoro's ono ot W||t and 1ohn Gott|, thon tho hoad ot tho low York Vat|a. l
thought, tuck|ng ho||, how d|d l got m|xod up |n th|s?
latr|ck Voohan had |oarnod tho ropos trom h|s dad, who a|so had a managomont company. lt
was a|| vory much rosos at t|rst. Voohan ta|kod a good ta|k and |n tho oar|y days ho roa||y got
th|ngs go|ng. |o was tho ono who got us to Amor|ca. 1ho who|o th|ng changod tor us. Wo woro
travo|||ng |n pr|vato jots ovorywhoro. Any t|mo wo wantod anyth|ng, wo'd just phono h|m up: 'l
want to buy a now car.'
|o'd go: 'Oh, okay, what car?'
ln my caso a lamborgh|n| or a lo||s-loyco, or whatovor.
'Whoro |s |t?'
l'd to|| h|m whoro |t was.
'|ow much |s |t?'
l'd to|| h|m how much |t was.
'l'|| sond thom a choquo and l'|| arrango to got tho car ovor.'
And that was |t. lt l wantod to buy a houso: 'Whoro |s tho houso? |ow much |s |t?'
And l got tho houso. 1hat's how wo ||vod. 3ut wo novor saw any s|gn|t|cant amounts ot
phys|ca| cash, ovon though thoro was a |ot ot |t about. Wo got somo monoy put |nto tho bank, but
not a |ot. 3ut tor us, com|ng trom what wo camo trom, a tow hundrod qu|d |n tho bank was
br||||ant. l bo||ovo that wo novor roa||y know how much monoy wo actua||y mado. Wo had
accountants |nvo|vod w|th us, but wo novor roa||y quost|onod what tho|r ro|o was or who thoy
woro tak|ng |nstruct|ons trom.
'Oh, |t's a b|g accountancy t|rm, |t must bo a|| r|ght!'
Wo know noth|ng at a|| about tho bus|noss s|do ot th|ngs. Whon wo wont down to tho ott|co |t
was a|ways como |n a||'s groat: '3y tho way, s|gn thoso papors. lt's bas|ca||y so-and-so, l'|| to||
you about |t, a|| trom tho accountant.'
And you'd th|nk |t was a|| abovo board.
3ut l ||kod Voohan. Wo a|| ||kod h|m at t|rst and wo bo||ovod |n h|m.
18
Cotting Paranoid
Attor rocord|ng B|ock 5obbotb wo |mmod|ato|y startod wr|t|ng songs tor our socond a|bum.
3omo ot thom woro wr|tton whon wo woro on tho road |n Europo, ||ko 'War l|gs'. Whon wo
p|ayod that gr|m p|aco |n Zur|ch, wo jammod a |ot and that's whoro tho |n|t|a| |doa camo trom.
lator, dur|ng rohoarsa|, wo turnod |t |nto a song. Wo had wr|t|ng soss|ons |n whatovor rohoarsa|
p|aco wo usod at tho t|mo, putt|ng tracks togothor. Wo a|so d|d somo work tor Potooolo |n
Vonmouth, |n Wa|os, bocauso wo wantod to go somowhoro whoro wo cou|d |ock ourso|vos
away. Wo woro ono ot tho t|rst bands thoro, attor 0avo Edmunds. At tho othor p|acos wo'd havo
to go |n and thon go homo, but horo wo cou|d a|| bo togothor and around oach othor a|| tho t|mo.
1ho rocord|ng ot tho Potooolo a|bum wont protty qu|ck. Wo wont back to logont 3ound,
work|ng w|th lodgor 3a|n aga|n. lt d|dn't tako much moro than throo or tour days, just a b|t
|ongor than tho t|rst ono. 3ocauso wo woro |n a t|ght a coup|o ot n|ghts botoro that, l rocordod
that a|bum w|th a groat b|g b|ack oyo. lt was tho days ot Vods and lockors and wo woro p|ay|ng
at th|s soas|do rosort. Wo had t|n|shod and Goozor wont out to mako a phono ca||. |o soon
camo rush|ng back |n, go|ng: '|uck|ng ho||, |oads ot sk|nhoads try|ng to got mo, thoy'ro a||
wa|t|ng tor us to como out!'
Wo wont out to soo what was happon|ng and |t was sor|ous stutt. Ozzy grabbod a hammor
and l sa|d: 'Who |s tho ono that got you thon, Goozor?'
|o po|ntod at somo guy and sa|d: 'lt was h|m!'
l wont down and, bang!, l h|t th|s b|oko and thon thoy a|| camo trom nowhoro. |uck|ng horr|b|o,
but you'ro |n tho m|dst ot |t thon, t|ght|ng. 3omo b|oko got mo around tho nock and l shoutod:
'Ozzy, h|t h|m w|th tho hammor!'
Ozzy h|t h|m and at tho samo t|mo ho got jumpod trom boh|nd and ho s|ammod tho b|oody
hammor backwards ovor h|s shou|dor |n that b|oko's taco. lt was bruta|. 1hoy woro woar|ng
thoso b|g mota|-t|ppod boots and wo woro gott|ng k|ckod |n tho taco w|th thom. Wo managod to
got away, but wo woro a b|oody moss.
lon Woodward, my o|d bass-p|ay|ng no|ghbour, had dr|von us to tho g|g bocauso ho had just
bought th|s now car. Wo jumpod |n scroam|ng: 'Ou|ck, dr|vo, tuck|ng got away!!'
3ut ho took ott ||ko a s|ug on va||um, w|th us scroam|ng our hoads ott, b|g b|ack oyos, b|ood
ovorywhoro: 'lut your toot down, dr|vo, dr|vo!!!'
A|| thoso sk|nhoads woro rush|ng down tho h|||, catch|ng up w|th us, bats |n hand, and lon was
mak|ng a gotaway |n s|ow mot|on. lt turnod out ho was atra|d to spood bocauso you'ro not
supposod to do that w|th a brand now car. Wo got away, but |t took us agos to got homo
bocauso ho drovo so s|ow|y. l t|na||y wa|kod |n tho houso and Vum was |n tho bodroom.
'|ow d|d tho show go?'
l oponod tho door.
'Oh, groat!'
lyr|ca||y, tho a|bum Potooolo was po||t|ca|, or corta|n|y 'War l|gs' was. 1hat wasn't bocauso
ot any nogat|vo roact|ons to tho supposod 'occu|t' t|rst a|bum, bocauso wo novor ovor rogrottod
what wo'vo dono. lt just happonod that way. 3ut not a|| ot B|ock 5obbotb was, tor |ack ot a bottor
word, occu|t, and not a|| ot Potooolo was po||t|ca|. 'War l|gs' actua||y startod ott as a song
ca||od 'Wa|purg|s', wh|ch suggosts |t m|ght havo boon a supornatura| song. 1h|s |s not
nocossar||y tho caso. Vaybo |t was just a work|ng t|t|o, w|th no |yr|cs wr|tton tor |t whatsoovor. l
don't know why Goozor changod |t trom 'Wa|purg|s' to 'War l|gs'. 1ho |yr|cs woro dot|n|to|y h|s
dopartmont. l a|ways ||kod what ho d|d, so l novor quost|onod h|m.
lodgor 3a|n and 1om A||om spoodod up tho ond|ng ot 'War l|gs'. Whon wo t|rst hoard that,
wo thought, that's strango, why wou|d thoy do that? 3ut wo had no say |n |t |n thoso days.
Wo smokod a |ot ot dopo, so that m|ght bo why somo ot tho |yr|cs aro a b|t unusua|. l|ko 'lron
Van', wh|ch camo trom a com|c about a robot wh|ch bocamo a||vo. l supposo thoro was a
sor|ous thought boh|nd that, roa||y, that somobody ||v|ng cou|dn't got out ot that body, cou|dn't got
out ot th|s th|ng. And |ook at '|a|r|os Woar 3oots'. What a |yr|c! 3ut nobody quost|onod |t,
poop|o accoptod |t.
Attor wo rocordod a|| tho tracks, lodgor sa|d: 'Wo don't havo onough. Can you como up w|th
anothor song? 1ust a short track?'
'Oh? Yoah, l supposo.'
1ho othors poppod out tor |unch, and l startod p|ay|ng 0ada0ada0ada0ada
0ada0ada0ada0adada, dudududududu-dudu, 0ada da: larano|d. Whon tho othors camo
back l p|ayod |t to thom and thoy ||kod |t. Goozor camo up w|th tho |yr|cs, l can't romombor |t
Ozzy had any |nput |n that ono. Whon wo'd start p|ay|ng a now song, Ozzy wou|d |mprov|so and
just s|ng anyth|ng, '||y|ng out tho w|ndow' or whatovor, and probab|y wou|dn't ovon know what ho
was s|ng|ng. And thon Goozor wou|d go: 'Oh yoah, l can uso that!'
Goozor wou|d do tho |yr|cs botoro wo startod rocord|ng or, |n somo casos, ovon |n tho stud|o.
And thon |t wou|d bo up to Ozzy to got |t r|ght. |o wou|d como up w|th tho mo|ody, and ho'd
to||ow tho r|tt |n a |ot ot casos. l don't know how Goozor camo up w|th tho |doa tor tho 'larano|d'
|yr|cs, but ho had qu|to a w|do |mag|nat|on. |o wou|d s|t and ||ston to tho mus|c tor a b|t, and
somot|mos ho'd want |t to bo qu|ot. |o'd wr|to a tow th|ngs down, cross somo out and wr|to
somoth|ng o|so. And thon ho'd g|vo |t to Ozzy, and ot courso Ozzy wou|d go: 'What tho tuck doos
th|s moan, Gooz!'
larano|d: l doubt wo ovon know what tho word moant at tho t|mo. Ozzy and mo wont to tho
samo |ousy schoo|, whoro wo corta|n|y wou|dn't bo around words ||ko that. Wo know what 'tuck'
moant, and 'p|ss ott', but 'parano|d'? 1hat's why wo |ott |t to Goozor, bocauso wo cons|dorod
h|m to bo tho |nto|||gont ono.
A|| our tracks woro t|vo m|nutos-p|us. Wo had novor dono a throo-m|nuto track, so 'larano|d'
was ||ko a throwaway: '1h|s w||| t||| tho gap.'
Wo novor thought that |t was go|ng to bo tho h|t. Out ot a|| our stutt, that's a|ways tho ono that
poop|o put on comp||at|ons, uso |n 1v thomos and |n t||ms. And |t took probab|y tour m|nutos to
wr|to. lt's that bas|c, s|mp|o th|ng, that catchy thomo, that sooms to appoa| to poop|o. 'larano|d'
ovon brought us to 7op o tbo Pops. Wo woro vory norvous do|ng that, bocauso |t was such a
prost|g|ous th|ng |n 3r|ta|n to bo on that show. Wo woro probab|y tho |oudost band thoy'd ovor
had on. l d|dn't ||ko tho atmosphoro thoro at a||, w|th tho 33C poop|o to|||ng you what to do and
a|| th|s rubb|sh. 1h|ngs camo to a hoad whon l sa|d: 'Got that ||ght ott ot mo, |t's dr|v|ng mo mad.'
'Wo can't turn that ott.'
l was ||ko: 'Wo||, got |t ott!'
Ot courso l p|ayod |n tho dark thon. Wo novor d|d |t aga|n attor that. Wo woron't roa||y a 7op o
tbo Pops band anyway.
lt tho B|ock 5obbotb a|bum w|th tho |nvortod cross on |ts s|oovo causod somo controvorsy,
Potooolo d|d |ts bost to top that. At t|rst wo woro go|ng to ca|| tho a|bum ot Plgs and thoy'd
dono tho a|bum covor up w|th a guy w|th a sh|o|d and a sword: tho 'war p|g'. 3ut thon thoy
wou|dn't accopt that t|t|o and changod |t to Potooolo. Wo askod: 'What's that got to do w|th that
covor?!'
3ut |t was too |ato to chango |t, bocauso thoy noodod a t|t|o qu|ck.
'lo, wo can't uso ot Plgs. What aro wo go|ng to ca|| |t?'
'lt's got to bo Potooolo!'
And that was |t.
10
5abbath, ZooIin and PurIo
1ohn 3onham and lobort l|ant woro both trom 3|rm|ngham. Vo and 3|||, whon wo woro |n 1ho
lost, p|ayod g|gs togothor w|th 3onham a |ot. |o'd bo |n ono band and wo'd bo |n anothor and
wo'd p|ay tho samo c|ubs. And Goozor know lobort l|ant moro than l d|d |n thoso days. Goozor
and myso|t woro out shopp|ng ono day and wo bumpod |nto 1ohn and lobort. 1hoy sa|d: 'Wo
got a now band, wo'ro gott|ng togothor w|th 1|mmy lago.'
'Oh, groat!'
Wo d|dn't know 1|mmy porsona||y, but wo know h|m trom 1ho Yardb|rds, so wo woro happy tor
thom.
1ho t|rst t|mo l hoard lod Zoppo||n's t|rst a|bum l thought |t was roa||y good. 1ho|r hoav|noss
was |n 3onham powor|ng tho drums. 1|mmy lago p|ayod groat r|tts, but ho d|dn't havo tho hoavy
sound, h|s was a d|ttoront sound. 3ut |t was a groat comb|nat|on. |owovor, our d|roct|on was tho
othor way round, |t was tho r|tt, tho hoav|or sound ot tho gu|tar. Whoro Zoppo||n ro||od on
thundor|ng drums, wo had our mass|vo gu|tar and bass wa|| ot sound.
3||| Ward has sa|d that at tho t|mo wo doc|dod to out-hoavy lod Zoppo||n. l don't romombor
that, but wo may wo|| havo. As you d|d |n thoso days. 3ut |n roa||ty thoro's novor boon much
r|va|ry botwoon 3abbath and Zoppo||n. Wo woro both trom 3|rm|ngham, wo woro a|| trom tho
samo gang |t you ||ko, so wo a|ways w|shod thom wo||, as l'm suro thoy d|d us.
lowadays ovorybody commun|catos w|th ovorybody o|so |n othor bands, but you novor d|d
that much thon. Wo ta|kod to tho guys |n lod Zoppo||n bocauso 3onham and l|ant woro matos.
1horo was a|ways th|s th|ng botwoon bands trom london and trom 3|rm|ngham, trom tho
V|d|ands. london mus|c|ans a|ways thought that tho|r bands woro bottor than your bands. 1hoy
|ookod down on poop|o trom tho V|d|ands, and wo |n turn |ookod at londonors as bo|ng snobby.
1horo was a |ot ot compot|t|on bocauso ot that, w|th bands try|ng to outdo oach othor. lt was
a|ways Zoppo||n and 3abbath and lurp|o, but tho r|va|ry was w|th 0oop lurp|o, corta|n|y |ator
on, whon wo had Potooolo |n tho charts and thoy had '3|ack l|ght' out. lt was thon, whon wo
woro both c||mb|ng tho charts, that wo to|t roa| r|va|ry.
Wo woro such good matos w|th lod Zoppo||n that thoy ovon wantod us on tho|r 3wansong
|abo|. l don't know why that d|dn't happon. Vaybo wo cou|dn't got out ot tho doa|s w|th Warnor
and lhonogram, bocauso wo d|d s|gn ourso|vos to thom torovor. Wo wou|d havo |ovod to havo
had lotor Grant as our managor as wo||, but |t wasn't to bo. l th|nk ho on|y managod Zoppo||n
and ot courso |ator on 3ad Company, who woro s|gnod to 3wansong. ln tho oar|y days thoro
woron't that many managors who managod a |ot ot bands. 1horo was just ono managor tor ono
band. Wo had latr|ck Voohan and ho d|dn't manago anybody o|so, at |oast not |n tho bog|nn|ng.
Whon tho guys trom Zoppo||n v|s|tod us wh||o wo woro rocord|ng 5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb,
wo had a jam togothor. 3onham wantod to p|ay ono ot our songs, l th|nk |t was '3abbra
Cadabra', but wo sa|d: 'lo, wo'ro p|ay|ng our songs a|roady. lot's just jam and p|ay somoth|ng
o|so.'
l don't know |t any tapos ox|st ot that. 1hat wou|d'vo boon a d|ttoront ono: 3|ack Zoppo||n. lt's
tho on|y t|mo tho two bands p|ayod togothor. 1ohn d|d got up and jam w|th us |n tho oar|y days,
but 3||| novor ||kod h|m p|ay|ng h|s k|t. lt was h|s pr|do and joy and 3onham a|ways broko
somoth|ng.
'Oh, 3|||, |ot mo p|ay thom . . .'
'lo, you'ro go|ng to broak somoth|ng.'
'lot mo havo a go, 3|||.'
'lo!'
1hoy woro mad, roa||y.
Wo'ro st||| matos w|th Zoppo||n, ovon though 3onham roa||y upsot lonn|o whon thoy camo to
soo our show at tho |ammorsm|th Odoon back |n Vay 1080. 1ohn was on tho s|do ot tho stago
hav|ng a good t|mo and dr|nk|ng Gu|nnoss, gott|ng moro and moro s|oshod as tho show wont
on. Wo camo ott stago and ho sa|d: '1hat guy's got a groat vo|co tor a tuck|ng m|dgot!'
Ot courso lonn|o hoard h|m. 3onham moant |t as a comp||mont roa||y, but |t d|dn't como out
as ono. lonn|o turnod to 1ohn and sa|d: 'You tuck|ng cunt!'
lt noar|y camo to b|ows. 1hat wou|d havo boon a |ops|dod t|ght bocauso 1ohn was a b|t ot a
hoo||gan. 3o l sa|d to h|m: 'look, p|oaso don't.'
|o sa|d: 'What's tho mattor w|th h|m!'
'Wo||, ho d|dn't much ||ko that. 1ust go back to tho hoto| and l'|| soo you |ator. lt's not a good
t|mo r|ght now.'
|o wont away thon, but b||moy, |t cou|d havo boon qu|to nasty.
lagoy |s a mato. A coup|o ot yoars back ho wantod to soo our g|g at ||o|ds ot lock |n
|o||and and ho t|ow out w|th us. Wo hung out, ho saw tho g|g, wo watchod lammsto|n togothor
and wo t|ow back. l'vo soon h|m many t|mos at var|ous tunct|ons s|nco.
20
1hia ia Amorica?
Our t|rst a|bum was |n tho charts tor qu|to a wh||o |n Amor|ca, ovon though wo had novor boon
thoro. Attor wo rocordod Potooolo, wo t|na||y wont. Ono ot tho stup|dost th|ngs wo ovor d|d was
tako ovor our own lA. Wo took a lanoy lA, lanoy co|umns, and wo had no t||ght casos or
anyth|ng tor thom, so a|| tho amps and cab|nots suttorod groat|y trom bo|ng thrown |n and out ot
tho p|ano's cargo ho|d. Wo got to low York and our oxpoctat|ons woro sky-h|gh: '1h|s |s tho roa|
th|ng, ah, groat, l can't bo||ovo |t!'
3ut our t|rst g|g was |n a poxy ||tt|o c|ub ca||od Ungano's on Wost 70th 3troot |n Vanhattan. lt
was supposod to bo tbo p|aco to p|ay, ||ko whon you'ro |n london you do tho Varquoo, but wo
d|dn't th|nk that whon wo saw what a sh|tho|o |t was. l guoss thoy bookod us |n thoro bocauso
agonts and rocord company poop|o woro supposod to show up.
Our road|o, luko, d|dn't roa||so |t was a d|ttoront ma|ns |n Amor|ca, so whon ho p|uggod tho
oqu|pmont |n, |t b|ow up.
'Oh b|oody ho||, what aro wo go|ng to do now?'
lt was chaos, but thoy soon managod to got tho tusos go|ng aga|n. Wo had two n|ghts at th|s
c|ub and l thought, wo||, th|s |s |t? 1h|s |s Amor|ca? lt was such a d|sappo|ntmont. 3ut on tho th|rd
n|ght ovor thoro, wo p|ayod tho ||||moro East, wh|ch was tantast|c. 3|oody ho||, mon|tors . . . what
a d|ttoronco! lt was tho t|rst t|mo wo hoard oach othor propor|y on stago, tho t|rst t|mo l cou|d
actua||y hoar Ozzy s|ng. lt was br||||ant and attor that wo novor |ookod back.
Wo p|ayod tho ||||moro w|th lod 3towart and 1ho |acos. Wo roa||y wont down wo|| and lod
3towart camo on and ho was pract|ca||y boood ott stago. Wo d|d two g|gs w|th h|m and tho
samo happonod tho socond n|ght. |o was not a happy chap. 3ut that's whon wo roa||sod wo
woro grabb|ng thom . . .
1ho Amor|cans, thoy roa||y ||kod us!
Us bo|ng not vory wo|| known yot, somo poop|o thought that 3|ack 3abbath was a b|ack band.
1hat d|dn't |ast vory |ong, as thoy soon tound out wo woron't much ot a sou| group. As tho tour
progrossod, wo usod to hang around and soo othor bands, ||ko tho 1amos Gang. Wo d|d tho
||||moro Wost |n 3an |ranc|sco w|th thom and 1oo Wa|sh was smok|ng th|s b|oody ango| dust.
l|ght botoro tho g|g Goozor sa|d: 'l'|| just havo a putt ot that.'
Ozzy jo|nod h|m. 1hoy thought thoy woro just smok|ng a jo|nt. Goozor sa|d ho was ha||uc|nat|ng
on stago. lt tr|ghtonod h|m to doath. Vost ot us woro protty out ot |t ha|t tho b|oody t|mo. l d|dn't
partako as much. l was corta|n|y no sa|nt, but l thought |t w|so to try to ma|nta|n a c|oar hoad. Up
to a corta|n po|nt.
21
Eay birthday witchoa to you
1horo woro poop|o |n whatovor country out thoro who wou|dn't ovon undorstand our |yr|cs at that
t|mo, bocauso thoy cou|dn't spoak Eng||sh. 3ut |t was bocauso ot tho v|bo ot tho mus|c that thoy
to|t |t was satan|c. Wo woro actua||y |nv|tod to jo|n satan|c socts. A|ox 3andors, tho hoad w|tch ot
Eng|and, 'tho K|ng ot tho W|tchos', camo to tho shows try|ng to got us |nto h|s th|ng. And tho t|rst
t|mo wo p|ayod 3an |ranc|sco, Anton lavoy, toundor ot tho Church ot 3atan, ho|d a parado tor
us thoro. l st||| havo a p|cturo ot that. lavoy w|th a lo||s-loyco and a b|g bannor that road:
'Wo|como 3|ack 3abbath'. l thought, what's a|| th|s? 1hat's n|co ot thom to do that!
Whon wo turnod down an |nv|tat|on to p|ay Wa|purg|s at 3tonohongo, th|s soct put a curso on
us. Wo took that vory sor|ous|y. 1hat's whon wo startod woar|ng our crossos. ||rst Ozzy woro
th|s k|tchon s|nk tap around h|s nock. 3oon |t wou|d dovo|op |nto a roa| cross. At tho t|mo wo
otton ta|kod about our droams and many t|mos |t turnod out wo droamod about tho samo
s|tuat|ons, wh|ch was roa||y wo|rd. Vaybo |t was tho Wa|purg|s th|ng, but ono n|ght wo a|| had th|s
droam about woar|ng crossos to protoct us trom ov||. And so wo d|d.
Ozzy's dad gavo us thoso a|um|n|um crossos that |ookod ||ko thoy woro mado ot s||vor. Attor
tho t|rst tour ho mado, ho startod mass product|on bocauso wo startod so|||ng thom at g|gs to
mako somo monoy. lator latr|ck Voohan gavo us tho go|d crossos. |o saw us w|th thoso
a|um|n|um th|ngs on b|ts ot str|ng, so l supposo ho thought, l'vo got to got thom somoth|ng a b|t
bottor |ook|ng than that.
l novor go on stago w|thout woar|ng my cross. Whon l go on tour l a|ways havo two th|ngs that l
roa||y |ook attor: tho cross and my th|mb|os. 1ho cross |s b|g, |n tact l'vo h|t myso|t |n tho taco w|th
|t a tow t|mos. You bond down to got |nto tho car and, bang! 1hat roa||y hurts. Goozor |ost h|s
go|d ono at an Aston v|||a tootba|| match. 3||| st||| has h|s tuckod away somowhoro, but ho
actua||y st||| woars h|s or|g|na| a|um|n|um ono. l |ost my or|g|na| ono. l probab|y d|d what l usua||y
do: put |t away somowhoro and torgot whoro. l can just soo somo now ownor ot ono ot my o|d
housos suddon|y d|scovor|ng |t: what's th|s cross . . . and th|s gram ot coko?
Ot courso, no|thor us nor our mus|c was satan|c. Goozor and h|s tam||y woro vory ro||g|ous,
lr|sh Catho||c - ho st||| |s - but at tho samo t|mo ho was |ntorostod |n occu|t|sm. |o road a |ot ot
books by tho Eng||sh occu|t|st, myst|c and author A|o|stor Crow|oy. Wo both had an |ntorost |n
what happonod boyond and got |nvo|vod |n |t qu|to a |ot. 3o ho'd got h|s |doas trom that. 1h|s
corta|n|y p|ayod a major part |n that t|rst a|bum. l th|nk Goozor to|t that tho mus|c was portray|ng
such a hoavy th|ng, that tho |yr|ca| contont had to bo about somoth|ng that wont w|th tho mus|c.
Evorywhoro o|so, |t was a|| t|owor powor and ovoryth|ng n|co and happy and poop|o woron't
wr|t|ng about roa| ||to: wars and tam|no and a|| tho othor th|ngs nobody wants to taco. 3o wo saw
that and thought wo shou|d bo do|ng |t. 3ut bo|ng accusod ot hav|ng mado an occu|t or, worso
yot, a satan|c a|bum, was s|mp|y r|d|cu|ous.
3t|||, wo got a |ot ot t|ack. Corta|n|y |n Amor|ca, bocauso thoro tho Church |s such a b|g doa|.
Wo'd got to tho g|g and thoro'd bo m|n|stors and tho|r congrogat|ons ho|d|ng up bannors: '0on't
como and soo th|s band. 1hoy aro satan|sts.'
1hon thoro was a caso thoro ot a nurso who k|||od horso|t |n hor apartmont, and what d|d thoy
t| nd? Potooolo on tho turntab|o! 3o |t was our tau|t. 1horo was an |nquost. Potooolo was
mont|onod and thoy tound |t wasn't to b|amo. 3ut |t was a shock to hoar about th|s caso,
bocauso |t wasn't what wo woro about. Wo woron't try|ng to k||| poop|o! 3os|dos, |t poop|o aro
doprossod and put an a|bum on, thoy'ro corta|n|y not go|ng to k||| thomso|vos bocauso ot tho
mus|c.
1hon thoro woro tho poop|o trom tho dark s|do. Ono n|ght, throo w|tchos camo to tho g|g. Wo||,
supposod w|tchos. 1hoy saw wo had propor crossos on and thoy c|oarod ott. A b|t |ator, back at
tho hoto| ono n|ght, wo wont up to our t|oor and thoro was a who|o crowd ot poop|o w|th b|ack
c|oaks on and cand|os, s|tt|ng |n tho ha||way outs|do our rooms. Wo thought, what's go|ng on
horo? 1hoy roa||y tako you too sor|ous|y. 3|oody ho||! Wo c||mbod ovor thom and got |nto our
rooms as thoy ho|d on to tho|r cand|os, murmur|ng. Wo phonod oach othor up and sa|d: 'What
aro wo go|ng to do? lot's g|vo |t ha|t a m|nuto and wo'|| a|| go outs|do.'
3o wo d|d. Wo a|| wont |nto tho ha||way, b|ow out tho cand|os and sang '|appy 3|rthday' to
thom. 1hoy woro d|sgustod, got up and |ott. 3ut |t cou|d havo gono tho othor way. 1hoy cou|d
havo stabbod us!
lator on, around Vo|omo 4, wo woro p|ay|ng at tho |o||ywood 3ow|. Attor tho sound chock wo
got back to tho dross|ng room. lt was |ockod up and thoro was a b|g rod cross on tho door.
'|uck|ng ho||!'
Wo t|na||y d|d got tho door opon and wo novor thought any moro ot |t. Wo got on stago and
attor a wh||o my amp startod crack||ng. lt was ono ot thoso days. l got roa||y p|ssod ott, turnod
around and l bootod my stack. luko tho road|o was boh|nd |t and l pushod |t and tr|od to k|ck tho
th|ng ovor and thon l just wa|kod ott. l was ||ko that |n thoso days, l had no pat|onco. As l stormod
ott, l d|dn't ovon not|co thoro was a guy on tho s|do ot tho stago w|th a daggor. |o was about to
stab mo. 1hoy ovontua||y wrost|od h|m to tho t|oor and took h|m away. lt turnod out ho had cut h|s
hand and put that cross on tho dross|ng-room door |n b|ood. |o was ono ot thoso ro||g|ous
troaks, roa||y out thoro. 1hoy showod tho daggor to mo and l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t: |t was hugo.
1hoso woro tho sort ot poop|o you had to doa| w|th a |ot, but th|s ono was a b|t oxtromo.
A|so |n Amor|ca tho hoad ot tho |o||'s Ango|s camo to g|vo us h|s b|oss|ng. |o sa|d: 'You got
any prob|om at a||, w|th anyth|ng, ca|| mo and l'|| got |t sortod out, whatovor |t |s.'
What can you say to a man ||ko that mak|ng an ottor ||ko that? '|uck ott!?' 3|am! 3o wo just
wont: 'Groat! 1hanks!'
Vaybo wo shou|d havo takon h|m up on h|s ottor w|th tho guy w|th tho b|oody daggor . . .
22
Ozzy'a ahockora
Ozzy just had a woak b|addor. Ono n|ght wo wont to a c|ub and wo had a sk|ntu| ot boozo. Ozzy
to|| as|oop on a couch and as thoy woro c|os|ng tho doorman sa|d: 'You'd bottor got h|m.'
l sa|d: 'l a|n't gott|ng h|m. lt you want h|m out, you'd bottor movo h|m.'
|o sa|d: 'l'|| tuck|ng movo h|m.'
|o p|ckod h|m up, put h|m ovor h|s shou|dor and Ozzy p|ssod h|mso|t, a|| down th|s guy's su|t.
Evontua||y wo cou|d attord two to a room. Goozor and 3||| sharod ono room and mo and Ozzy
sharod anothor. 1hat was bottor, but l'd bo |n bod, sound as|oop, and Ozzy wou|d wako up at a||
sorts ot tunny hours. |o'd put tho 1v on tu|| b|ast and thon tako a showor. l'd jump up wondor|ng
what tho ho|| was happon|ng, turn tho 1v ott and got back |nto bod. |o'd got out ot tho showor
and turn |t back on tu|| b|ast aga|n. l'd hoar h|m bump|ng and bang|ng and t|dd||ng around and l'd
th|nk, l m|ght as wo|| got up myso|t now.
Whon wo d|d got our vory own rooms, l thought, th|s |s groat! 3ut noth|ng changod: l'd bo |n
bod at God knows what t|mo, and thoro'd bo a bang on tho door. l'd answor |t and |t wou|d bo
Ozzy, go|ng: 'You havon't got a ||ght, havo you?'
'0o you know what t|mo |t |s? And you b|oody woko mo up tor a ||ght!'
Ozzy and hoto|s . . . Wo woro on tour, travo|||ng tor hours and hours through a |ot ot dosort
|and. Wo camo to th|s shop |n tho m|dd|o ot nowhoro, so wo a|| p||od out ot tho bus to havo a
|ook. 1horo was a b|g s|gn say|ng: '||roworks'. Ozzy wont |n and bought a|| tho t|roworks thoy
had. l sa|d: 'What aro you go|ng to do w|th thom?'
'Oh, l'm probab|y go|ng to |ot thom ott |ator.'
Whon ho sa|d '|ator' l d|dn't know ho moant as |ato as ho d|d, and l d|dn't know whoro. lt turnod
out to bo |n tho hoto| at tour o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng. Wo woro |n our rooms and l hoard thoso
wh|zz|ng sounds ot rockots t|y|ng past. l |ookod through tho poopho|o ot my door and l saw that
tho ha||way was tu|| ot smoko. 1hon |t startod com|ng undor my door, so l wont out. 3y th|s t|mo
tho b|oody spr|nk|ors had como on |n tho ha||way and a|| tho rooms. 1ho guosts camo out |n tho|r
pyjamas, scroam|ng, not know|ng what tho ho|| was go|ng on. lt was such a moss.
Voanwh||o, Ozzy, abso|uto|y out ot h|s sku||, was st||| |n tho ha||way |ott|ng h|s t|roworks ott. Ot
courso tho po||co camo and took h|m away. 1hoy sa|d to us: 'You bottor como down and ba||
h|m out!'
Wo sa|d: 'You koop h|m ton|ght. Wo'|| ba|| h|m out tomorrow. Wo'vo got to got somo b|oody
rost!'
lt was a now|y roturb|shod hoto|, but Ozzy's t|roworks had burnod tho carpots and damagod
tho wa||s. 1hoy mado h|m pay tor |t b|g t|mo, so ho |oarnod h|s |osson thoro.
Or maybo ho d|dn't.
And ho's st||| tho samo now, a|ways moon|ng ovorybody. Evon whon wo woro |nductod |nto tho
UK Vus|c |a|| ot |amo and wo p|ayod 'larano|d', Ozzy moonod tho crowd. Wo||, tho crowd -
thoro woron't that many poop|o thoro, but ho d|dn't th|nk thoy woro onthus|ast|c onough so ho
doc|dod to pu|| h|s pants down aga|n. You'ro p|ay|ng to poop|o |n your bus|noss, so what do you
oxpoct? 1hoy'ro not go|ng to jump up and shout and scroam, thoy just s|t thoro po||to|y. And 1ho
K|nks woro |n tho tront. You don't oxpoct thom to |oap up!
lt d|dn't p|ss mo ott, though, |t d|dn't bothor us. Wo'ro usod to soo|ng that.
l'vo soon Ozzy's arso moro t|mos than l'vo soon my own!
28
An Antiodoan murdor myatory
ln 1anuary 1071 wo t|ow to Ado|a|do to hoad||no tho Vyponga Opon A|r |ost|va|. Wo woro |urod
|nto do|ng th|s by tho promotor, who sa|d: 'Why don't you como and stay tor a wook's ho||day?
A|| oxponsos pa|d!'
loa||y groat tor us. Wo got thoro and ho turnod out to bo a vory gonorous host. |o sa|d to us:
'Wh||o you'ro horo: whatovor you want.'
Wo wantod! Cav|ar and champagno, |t was ovor tho top. 1horo woro tour ||mous|nos at our
d|sposa| and on top ot that ho gavo oach ot us a brand now car. |o sa|d: '|or you to uso |n caso
you want to dr|vo anywhoro yourso|vos and havo a |ook around.'
1ho wrong th|ng to do. Wo doc|dod to go down to tho boach to havo a raco a|ong tho wator's
odgo. Ono ot tho cars got stuck. l tr|od to tow |t out and l got stuck.
'Ah, tuck!'
1hon tho t|do camo |n. As tho wator got c|osor, wo startod to pan|c. Wo got thoso oars ott th|s
b|oko's boat and wo woro try|ng to got thom undor tho whoo|s. 'Kchch!' 3roko both h|s oars. lo
mattor what wo d|d, tho cars cou|dn't bo movod. Wo watchod ho|p|oss|y as, t|na||y, tho wator
covorod both cars. l phonod tho promotor up and to|d h|m what had happonod. |o took |t |n h|s
str|do and sont a truck to tow thom out. Ot courso tho cars woro comp|oto|y knackorod.
ln tho run-up to tho tost|va| l d|d somo rad|o |ntorv|ows and at ono ot thom l sa|d: 'Oh, wo'ro
vory |ono|y, wo cou|d do w|th somo womon horo.'
l|vo, on a|r. And what happonod? loads ot g|r|s turnod up at tho hoto|. Vo and latr|ck
Voohan ondod up w|th th|s ono g|r| |n our room and thon . . . sho passod out.
Voohan wont: '3ho's doad!'
Oh, tuck|ng ho||! l thought, Chr|st, sho's doad. 3ho's oooo!
l cou|d soo tho hoad||nos: 'G|r| tound doad |n hoto| room w|th two guys'. l just thought, thoy'||
th|nk |t's us!
Voohan wont: 'Wo got to got r|d ot hor! Wo got to got r|d ot hor!'
||s |doa was to throw hor ott tho ba|cony and say that sho had ta||on ott |t. Wo woro roa||y h|gh
up. 1ho thought ot |t now |s abso|uto|y tr|ghton|ng, but |n my pan|c l wont a|ong w|th |t. Wo got hor
to tho ba|cony, wo woro try|ng to p|ck hor up and thon . . . sho camo round.
'3|oody ho||, sho's a||vo!'
3ho was probab|y h|gh on drugs, but, wo cou|d qu|to oas||y havo just tossod hor ott ot thoro
and l wou|d havo bocomo a twonty-two-yoar-o|d murdoror.
'3ut your honour, sho was doad a|roady!'
l bot that g|r| doosn't ovon know what happonod. l'|| probab|y bo arrostod now. 3ho w||| road
th|s book and como out ot tho woodwork: 'Yos, thoro ho |s!'
'lt was Voohan! lt was Voohan!'
3uch a shamo, roa||y. lt was a b|g tost|va|, ovoryth|ng thoro wont groat and tho promotor
|ookod attor us ||ko you wou|dn't bo||ovo. Wo |ator hoard ho wont bust.
l wondor why . . .
24
FIying tiah
ln |obruary 1071 wo startod our socond tour ot Amor|ca. lt was groat, a|so thanks to our tr|onds
trom Vounta|n. 1hoy woro a good band, thoy troatod us wo|| and thoy had p|onty ot drugs. l roa||y
||kod tho|r gu|tar p|ayor, los||o Wost. 3t||| do. l onco sa|d to h|m: 'l roa||y ||ko tho sound you'ro
gott|ng, l |ovo tho gu|tar.'
|o |ookod and tound mo a G|bson that was tho samo as h|s. |o camo ovor to Eng|and and
gavo |t to mo. 3ut |t was sto|on. You havo a broak tor a wh||o and your gu|tars go |nto storago
somowhoro. l had about tour gu|tars go trom storago onco, and that was ono ot thom. los||o's
gu|tar go|ng: that broko my hoart.
lt was on th|s tour that wo t|rst stayod at tho los Ango|os |yatt, bottor known as tho 'l|ot',
whoro wo mot our t|rst group|os. Wo d|dn't roa||y know about that. ln Europo tho womon woron't
as torward as |n Amor|ca. As soon as wo wa|kod |nto rocopt|on at tho |yatt thoso g|r|s camo up
to us, say|ng: '|ow aro you? Aro you trom Eng|and?'
3otoro wo know |t, ovorybody had a g|r|. Wo cou|dn't bo||ovo |t. '3||moy! ls th|s what Amor|ca
|s ||ko?'
And thon, |ator, you'd soo thom aga|n, w|th somobody o|so. Wo woro ||ko: '3o, that's what thoy
ca|| a group|o!'
ln 3oatt|o wo stayod at tho |ntamous Edgowator hoto|, whoro you cou|d t|sh out ot tho w|ndow.
1ho hoto| was bu||t on st||ts and |oanod ovor tho wator. You cou|d got a t|sh|ng ||no at rocopt|on,
so that you cou|d t|sh out ot tho w|ndow. And that's what wo usod to do. l don't know why roa||y.
Ozzy was t|sh|ng out ot tho w|ndow onco and caught a shark, wh|ch ho put |n tho bath wh||o wo
d|d tho g|g. Ot courso |t d|od, bocauso tho th|ng was as |ong as tho bath and sharks havo to
movo to broatho. Ozzy thon procoodod to cut |t up. 3|ood and sh|t woro ovorywhoro. |o tr|od to .
. . l don't know what ho was do|ng.
3||| was bo|ow my room and ho had h|s w|ndow opon. l caught th|s shark, |t dang|od on my ||no
and l swung |t |nto 3|||'s room. |o was vory surpr|sod. lot p|oasant|y, but vory surpr|sod! 1o havo
a b|oody shark como t|y|ng through your w|ndow: 'Ahhhh!'
|o throw |t out ot tho w|ndow back |nto tho soa, but tho room smo||od ot t|sh trom thon on.
Actua||y, a|| tho rooms smo||od ot t|sh. You cou|dn't wash tho t|oor down or anyth|ng, |t was a||
carpotod. l don't know what thoy oxpoctod tho|r guosts to do w|th tho t|sh thoy caught.
Anothor t|mo wo t|od tho ||no to ono ot tho standard |amps thoro. Wo |ott, camo back |ator and
tho standard |amp was gono. Gono out tho w|ndow! 3o wo p|ckod up tho b||| tor that ono.
0ur|ng tho |ast tour wo d|d w|th 3abbath, whon wo woro |n 3oatt|o mo and 3||| wont down to
tho Edgowator aga|n, just tor o|d t|mo's sako. 1hoy showod us around: thoro was a Zoppo||n
room and thoy woro do|ng a 3abbath room as wo||.
ln tho oar|y days thoro woro on|y corta|n hoto|s that a||owod bands |n, bocauso ot tho
roputat|on that ovorybody had. 3ut now wo stay a|| tho t|mo at tho l|tz-Car|tons and |our
3oasons, tho top hoto|s. And at s|xty-p|us yoars o|d wo don't throw to|ov|s|ons out ot w|ndows
any moro.
Can't p|ck 'om up now.
25
Numbor 8, Naator ot RoaIity
Potooolo wont to lo. 1 |n tho UK a|bum charts and, a|though |t hadn't ovon boon ro|oasod |n
Amor|ca yot, wo d|d too| prossuro whon wo had to como up w|th our noxt a|bum, Vostot o
Roo|lty. 3ocauso onco you'vo had a lo. 1 a|bum, whoro do you go? lt you don't go to lo. 1
aga|n, you'ro not do|ng as good, so you'vo got to como up w|th songs that aro go|ng to mako tho
noxt a|bum at |oast oqua||y as popu|ar.
Vanagomont had us out on tho road a|| tho t|mo, w|th wo|rd schodu|os. 3omot|mos wo d|d two
shows a day, |n d|ttoront c|t|os. Wo hard|y had any broaks at a||. 3ocauso ot th|s, and bocauso
wo d|dn't havo any songs |y|ng around trom prov|ous stud|o soss|ons, wo wont |nto a rohoarsa|
room and startod wr|t|ng thom. l'd como up w|th r|tts and onco wo got startod wo camo up w|th
songs qu|to oas||y. 3omot|mos |t was a b|t ot a strugg|o to got onough tor an a|bum, bocauso
you noodod somo t|mo to th|nk about thom and ||vo w|th thom. And wo d|dn't havo that t|mo.
Espoc|a||y attor Potooolo. lt wo d|dn't havo onough songs tor an a|bum, wo'd havo to wr|to an
oxtra song |n tho stud|o. Wo'd add ||tt|o gu|tar b|ts to songs as wo||, to oxtond thom a b|t. l a|so
||kod to como up w|th somo |nstrumonta| gu|tar tracks, ||ko 'Embryo', wh|ch sorvos as an |ntro to
'Ch||dron Ot 1ho Gravo' on tho Vostot o Roo|lty a|bum. lt's a ||tt|o c|ass|ca| th|ng to g|vo |t a|| a
||tt|o spaco and croato somo ||ght and shado. lt you ||ston to an a|bum or ovon a song trom start
to t|n|sh and |t's a|| pound|ng away, you don't not|co tho hoav|noss ot |t bocauso thoro |s no ||ght
|n botwoon |t. And that's why, somot|mos |n tho m|dd|o ot songs as wo||, l put a ||ght part |n, to
mako tho r|tt sound hoavy whon |t comos back |n. 'Orch|d' sorvod a s|m||ar purposo, |oad|ng |nto
'lord Ot 1h|s Wor|d'. lt was just mo on acoust|c gu|tar, a n|co ||tt|o b|t ot ca|m botoro tho storm to
mako tho dynam|cs pop out. At t|rst ovorybody thought, hmm, that's a b|t odd. 3ut wo ||kod do|ng
stutt outs|do tho box. Wo wou|dn't th|nk, you can't do that, you can't do acoust|c stutt, you can't
uso orchostras, so wo d|d much moro than hoavy stutt.
Whon wo rocordod Vostot o Roo|lty |n |obruary and Varch 1071, l got qu|to |nvo|vod |n |t
and roa||y startod com|ng up w|th |doas. Wo d|d somo stutt that wo had novor dono botoro. On
'Ch||dron Ot 1ho Gravo', 'lord Ot 1h|s Wor|d' and 'lnto 1ho vo|d' wo tunod down throo
som|tonos. lt was part ot an oxpor|mont: tun|ng down togothor tor a b|ggor, hoav|or sound. 3ack
thon a|| tho othor bands had rhythm gu|tar|sts or koyboards, but wo mado do w|th gu|tar, bass
gu|tar and drums, so wo tr|od to mako thom sound as tat as poss|b|o. 1un|ng down just soomod
to g|vo moro dopth to |t. l th|nk l was tho t|rst ono to do that.
Wo just woron't atra|d to do somoth|ng unoxpoctod. l|ko '3o||tudo', maybo tho t|rst |ovo song
wo ovor rocordod. Ozzy had a do|ay on h|s vo|co, and ho sang that qu|to n|co. |o has a roa||y
good vo|co tor ba||ads. l'm p|ay|ng tho t|uto on that song as wo||. l tr|od a|| sorts ot th|ngs |n tho
courso ot do|ng a|bums, ovon though l cou|dn't p|ay thom, and attor bo|ng w|th 1othro 1u|| tor that
short st|nt, l thought l m|ght try tho t|uto. l d|d |t on|y to a vory amatour|sh oxtont, l must adm|t. 3ut
l'vo st||| got that t|uto.
Wo a|| p|ayod '3woot loat ' wh||o stonod, as at that t|mo wo woro do|ng a |ot ot dopo. Wh||o l
was rocord|ng an acoust|c gu|tar b|t tor ono ot tho othor songs, Ozzy brought mo a b|oody b|g
jo|nt. |o sa|d: '1ust havo a toko on th|s ono.'
l wont: 'lo, no.'
3ut l d|d, and |t b|oody chokod mo. l coughod my hoad ott, thoy tapod that and wo usod |t on
tho bog|nn|ng ot '3woot loat'. |ow appropr|ato: cough|ng your way |nto a song about mar|juana
. . . and tho t|nost voca| portormanco ot my ont|ro caroor!
'lnto 1ho vo|d' |s ono ot my tavour|to songs trom that ||no-up, '3abbath 3|oody 3abbath' |s my
othor ono. 1ho structuro ot thoso songs |s roa||y good, bocauso thoy havo |ots ot d|ttoront
co|ours, thoro's |ots ot d|ttoront stutt happon|ng |n thom. 'lnto 1ho vo|d' has th|s |n|t|a| r|tt that
changos tompos |n tho song. l ||ko that. l ||ko somoth|ng w|th |ntorost|ng parts |n |t.
|or Ozzy gott|ng Goozor's |yr|cs r|ght wou|dn't a|ways bo oasy. |o corta|n|y strugg|od on 'lnto
1ho vo|d'. lt has th|s s|ow b|t, but thon tho r|tt whoro Ozzy comos |n |s vory tast. Ozzy had to s|ng
roa||y rap|d|y: 'lockot ong|nos burn|ng tuo| so tast, up |nto tho n|ght sky thoy b|ast', qu|ck words
||ko that. Goozor had wr|tton a|| tho words out tor h|m.
'lockot wuhtuputt|puh, what tho tuck, l can't s|ng th|s!'
3oo|ng h|m try, |t was h||ar|ous.
1ust ||ko our prov|ous a|bums Vostot o Roo|lty had somo controvors|a| momonts. '3woot
loat ' upsot somo poop|o bocauso ot tho rotoronco to drugs, and so d|d 'Attor |orovor', thanks
to Goozor's tonguo-|n-chook ||no 'wou|d you ||ko to soo tho lopo on tho ond ot a ropo'. 1ho
covor was unusua| aga|n as wo||: th|s t|mo |t just had words |n purp|o and b|ack on a b|ack
background. 3||ght|y 3p|na| 1ap-|sh, on|y wo|| botoro 3p|na| 1ap. A|though th|s t|mo wo woro
a||owod two wooks to rocord tho a|bum, what w|th lodgor 3a|n produc|ng and 1om A||om
ong|noor|ng aga|n, mus|ca||y Vostot o Roo|lty was a cont|nuat|on ot Potooolo. At tho t|mo l
thought tho sound cou|d'vo boon a b|t bottor. 1hat's tho th|ng whon you'ro a mus|c|an: you ||ko
th|ngs to bo a corta|n way, to sound a corta|n way, and thorotoro |t's d|tt|cu|t to |oavo |t up to
othor poop|o. Whon |t goos |nto somobody o|so's hands you'vo got no contro| ovor |t, and whon
you hoar |t |t's not ||ko you oxpoctod |t to bo. 1hat's why l got |nvo|vod moro and moro attor thoso
t|rst a|bums.
20
No, roaIIy, it'a too much . . .
Whon wo rocordod Potooolo l st||| ||vod at homo. Vy paronts had bought anothor p|aco |n
K|ngstand|ng, noar 3|rm|ngham. 1hoy p|annod to movo thoro as soon as thoy got r|d ot tho
shop. Vum wantod to got out ot |t. lt was just a burdon. You'd wako up |n tho morn|ng and tho
shop oponod and attor you c|osod you'd go to bod. 1hoy cou|d novor go away. Wo novor wont
on a ho||day as a tam||y, thoy had novor boon abroad.
l was proud ot that now p|aco. 3otoro thoy movod |n l had a koy and |t l had mot a g|r| l'd tako
hor up thoro: '1h|s |s our now houso!'
Attor a||, l cou|dn't tako anybody back to tho o|d houso: '|oro, como and s|t on th|s box ot
boans, and l'|| got you a n|co dr|nk.'
Wou|dn't th|nk ot |t.
3ut |t was t|mo tor mo to t|nd my own p|aco. At t|rst l d|dn't havo tho monoy to do that, and
whon tho monoy camo |n l was out on tour a|| tho t|mo. 1ho t|rst b|g choquos wont towards a t|ash
car anyway. lo soonor d|d l got my hands on somo sor|ous cash than l bought myso|t a
lamborgh|n|. 3o horo was th|s lamborgh|n| outs|do tho houso |n Endh||| load, K|ngstand|ng.
1ho houso cost b,000 whon thoy bought |t, th|s th|ng was ||ko t|vo t|mos moro than that. 1hat car
outs|do, wo woro mad |n thoso days.
Wo woro a|| car crazy. Goozor a|ways sa|d: 'Whon l pass my tost, l'm go|ng to buy a lo||s-
loyco.'
Ono day l camo homo, and thoro was th|s lo||s parkod outs|do our houso on Endh||| load. l
thought, oh ho||, ho's dono |t! Goozor's passod h|s dr|v|ng tost! 3||| a|so bought a lo||s-loyco. ln
tho ownorsh|p book thoro was |rank V|tcho||, tho tamous Vad Axoman, who k|||od a |ot ot
poop|o, 3|r la|ph l|chardson, tho wo||-known actor, and thon 3||| Ward! |o'd havo cratos ot
c|dor |n tho back ot |t, ||ko a travo|||ng bar. Ozzy d|dn't havo a dr|v|ng ||conco, but ho st||| bought
my lo||s ott mo. ||s w|to drovo h|m and ho camo ovor to my houso w|th a|| h|s dogs on tho back
soat. lt was an |mmacu|ato car whon l so|d |t to h|m, and tho stato ot |t whon ho camo ovor! 0ogs
sh|tt|ng |n thoro and ovoryth|ng.
Goozor d|dn't manago to koop h|s car |n m|nt cond|t|on o|thor. lt was tho days ot p|attorm
shoos, and Goozor's woro vory, vory b|g. |ow on oarth ho drovo that car w|th thom l just don't
know. |o was dr|v|ng around 0ovon, whoro tho h|||s aro qu|to stoop, and ho stoppod ott at a
shop that was on top ot ono ot thoso h|||s. |o parkod tho car, wont |n on h|s p|attorm shoos, and
somobody |n tho shop suddon|y sa|d: 'look! 1horo's a car ro|||ng down tho h|||. And |t's a lo||s-
loyco!'
Goozor wont: 'Oh my God!'
|o ran out, hobb||ng a|ong on h|s p|attorm shoos as tast as ho cou|d, try|ng to got noxt to h|s
car so that ho cou|d opon tho door and stop |t. Ot courso Goozor cou|dn't koop up w|th |t and tho
car wont t|y|ng down tho h||| and crashod through a tonco, stra|ght |nto a troo. On h|s way homo
ho drovo past my houso, and l hoard h|s car go 'kchh, kchh, kchh', th|s scrap|ng sound ot tho tan
h|tt|ng tho rad|ator. 1ho tront was comp|oto|y smashod up, and Goozor sa|d to mo: 'low l soo
why thoy ca|| |t a lo||s . . .'
l bought my t|rst houso |n 1072 |n 3tattord, north ot 3|rm|ngham. lt was a throo-acro proporty
w|th a sw|mm|ng poo|. l soon not|cod that thoy woro bu||d|ng th|s modorn houso r|ght boh|nd |t
and l thought, tuck, |t's r|ght boh|nd my sw|mm|ng poo|! lnstoad ot a||ow|ng |t to bothor mo, l
bought |t tor my paronts. 1hoy movod |n thoro trom tho|r houso |n K|ngstand|ng. lt was a |ovo|y
p|aco, brand now, a|| carpotod, modorn bathrooms, tho who|o |ot. l |ot 0ad uso somo ot tho |and
whoro ho cou|d havo h|s ch|ckons, so ho qu|to ||kod |t thoro. 3ut Vum to|t ||ko sho was stuck |n
tho m|dd|o ot nowhoro, too tar away trom tho c|ty. lt was br||||ant g|v|ng thom that t|rst houso, but
thoy d|dn't ||ko |t, so that was a hugo d|sappo|ntmont to mo. l sa|d: 'Okay, you t|nd yourso|vos a
houso you do ||ko and l don't want anyth|ng to do w|th |t. You to|| mo about |t and l'|| got |t.'
3o thoy d|d. 1hoy tound th|s houso that thoy ||kod at an auct|on. l was |n Amor|ca at tho t|mo,
so l sont th|s guy a|ong to b|d tor th|s p|aco. And who was ho b|dd|ng aga|nst? Vy aunt, who was
try|ng to got |t as wo||! l d|dn't t|nd out t||| attorwards. lt was just tho two ot thom b|dd|ng. l cou|dn't
bo||ovo |t! 3ut wo got |t |n tho ond and thoy woro abso|uto|y thr|||od to ||vo thoro. 0ad had horsos
and ch|ckons thoro, so ho was |n h|s o|omont. lt was a|most too |ato tor h|m, bocauso ho was
start|ng to got too ||| to onjoy |t, but ho d|d havo a tow good yoars thoro.
l tr|od to |ook attor thom, but that wasn't oasy. Ear||or, whon wo ||vod |n K|ngstand|ng, l saw my
tathor outs|do w|th th|s o|d hand|o try|ng to crank-start h|s car and l thought, oh God, ovory
morn|ng ho's out thoro do|ng |t, c|garotto |n h|s mouth, roa||y horr|b|o, wo can't havo th|s. 3o l
bought h|m a lo||-loyco. Vum sa|d: '|o's not go|ng to ||ko that!'
'Ot courso ho w|||!'
l wont to th|s doa|orsh|p and bought h|m a lo||s-loyco tor h|s b|rthday. 1hoy do||vorod |t to tho
houso w|th a crato ot champagno |n tho back. 0ad just wont: 'What's that? l don't want that! Can
you |mag|no mo go|ng to work |n that? What wou|d a|| tho poop|o say, and tho no|ghbours, what
aro thoy go|ng to th|nk? Vo w|th a lo||-loyco!'
3|oody ho||. l had to phono tho lo||s-loyco poop|o up and say: '|o doosn't want |t.'
'What do you moan ho doosn't want |t? lt's a lo||s-loyco!'
'Yos, but ho won't ovon got |n |t.'
3o thoy camo and p|ckod |t up. l sa|d to 0ad: 'What do you want thon?'
'l don't want anyth|ng.'
'Wou|dn't you bo bottor ott w|th anothor car? What about a 1aguar?'
'Wo||, |t's bottor than that th|ng.'
3o l bought h|m th|s 1aguar 8.4, tho c|ass|c ono w|th a|| tho n|co wood and sw|tchos and stutt.
|o st||| d|dn't want |t, but l sa|d: '0ad, you got to havo |t. l can't got my monoy back now. l bought
th|s car, thoy won't just torgot about |t, l havo to buy somoth|ng ott thom.'
|o usod that tor a wh||o, but |t was a strugg|o. l thought, b||moy, l try and ho|p h|m out and ho
says: 'l don't want that b|oody th|ng.'
Vy tathor d|od |n 1082, ho was on|y about s|xty-t|vo yoars o|d. Vum surv|vod h|m by noar|y
t|ttoon yoars. |o was a stubborn man, vory proud, and ho novor comp|a|nod. |o'd just p|od on.
|o had workod hard a|| h|s ||to. 1hat's what ho bo||ovod |n, work and noth|ng but work. And ho
wou|d novor stop smok|ng. |o smokod h|mso|t to doath. |o d|od ot a co||apsod |ung and ot
omphysoma.
Ono day l not|cod ho was |ook|ng |||. 3ocauso 3abbath had dono somo char|ty work tor tho
hosp|ta| |n 3|rm|ngham l had mot thoso spoc|a||sts. l to|d thom about 0ad and thoy sa|d: 'Wo||,
got h|m to como |n.'
0ad hatod doctors, so l sa|d: '1horo's no way ho's com|ng to hosp|ta|. Wou|d you como out
and soo h|m?'
1hoy d|d and ho wont abso|uto|y mad. |o h|t tho root, go|ng: '0on't you ovor br|ng thom
around horo aga|n!'
1hoy chockod h|m ovor anyway and sa|d: 'Wo||, ho's |n a bad way.'
3ut thoro was noth|ng you cou|d do tor h|m, ho just wou|dn't havo |t.
Cou|dn't buy h|m a houso, cou|dn't buy h|m a car . . . cou|dn't buy h|m h|s hoa|th.
27
Whito Iinoa and whito auita
ln Eng|and |t was a|| hash and dopo and p|||s, but whon wo hoad||nod tho los Ango|os |orum |n
tho autumn ot 1071 l was |ntroducod to coca|no. l sa|d to ono ot our road|os: 'l too| roa||y t|rod.'
|o sa|d: 'Why don't you havo a ||tt|o ||no ot coko?'
'lo, l don't want to do any ot that.'
|o was Amor|can, so ho was tam|||ar w|th |t. |o sa|d: 'You'|| bo t|no. 1ust havo a ||tt|o toot
botoro you go on.'
l had a toot and l thought, ah, th|s |s wondortu|! lot's got on stago and p|ay! And that was |t.
3|oody ho||! l to|t groat on stago and ot courso tho noxt t|mo l had a ||tt|o b|t ot that stutt botoro
go|ng on aga|n. And thon l startod do|ng |t moro and moro. As you do.
1o do somoth|ng spoc|a| around that g|g wo a|so portormod at tho Wh|sky a Go Go on 3unsot
3tr|p. latr|ck Voohan sa|d: 'Why don't wo woar somoth|ng d|ttoront? Wh|to su|ts and top hats
and canos!'
Wo h|rod a|| thoso wh|to su|ts and thoy woro abso|uto|y covorod |n d|rt attor no t|mo at a||. Vost
poop|o tako thoso th|ngs back a|| n|co on hangors, but tho poop|o at tho ronta| p|aco must havo
thought, who's had thoso?
1ho 3oach 3oys camo to soo us that n|ght and l d|dn't know what thoy |ookod ||ko. l was
com|ng out ot tho dross|ng room and somobody wa|kod up to mo and sa|d: 'Can l como |n and
soo tho rost ot tho guys?'
'lo, no, thoro's nobody a||owod |n tho dross|ng room.'
lt was a ||tt|o b|t ombarrass|ng attorwards, whon l tound out ho was a 3oach 3oy.
lA and mov|o stars and sunsh|no - |t mado qu|to an |mpross|on on us. Wo ondod up at thoso
wo||-to-do part|os whoro wo saw |ots ot mov|o stars, ||ko 1ony Curt|s and O||v|a lowton-1ohn.
Wo'd bo cokod out anyway, as a |ot ot thom woro as wo||. ||oat|ng around thoro . . .
l th|nk |t was at tho ond ot that th|rd tour ot Amor|ca that wo p|ayod tho |o||ywood 3ow| tor tho
t|rst t|mo. Vy momory |s not crysta|-c|oar about that show, bocauso l co||apsod at tho ond ot |t. l
passod out bocauso ot oxhaust|on. l just romombor go|ng to tho |ast song and thon urrrggh,
bo|ng, and gono. 1ho doctor who oxam|nod mo sa|d: 'You'vo got to go on tho noxt p|ano back to
Eng|and, go stra|ght homo and just tako |t oasy.'
l was about to havo a norvous broakdown, so thoy proscr|bod va||um |n h|gh dosos. l was a
tuck|ng zomb|o a|| day. l roa||y had to just rost. lt had boon too much w|th tho ||tosty|o wo woro
||v|ng, a|| tho tour|ng and not gott|ng a |ot ot s|oop. And tho drugs, l supposo. 3||| was d|agnosod
w|th hopat|t|s and ondod up |n hosp|ta|. |o carr|od th|s rusty kn|to w|th h|m a|| tho t|mo and ho
oponod somo c|ams w|th |t and cut h|s hand. |o c|a|ms ho got |t o|thor trom h|s kn|to or trom a
sho||. 3o|ng a vogan, Goozor cou|dn't got ha|t tho tood ho wantod, so a comb|nat|on ot that and
drugs mado h|m awtu||y th|n. |o got thoso k|dnoy stonos and ondod up |n hosp|ta| as wo||. Wo
woro a|| ta|||ng to b|ts. Ozzy probab|y had tho most unhoa|thy ||tosty|o ot a|| ot us, but ho was tho
on|y ono st||| stand|ng.
Wo woro a|| out tor tho count, but Ozzy? |o was r|ght as ra|n.
28
Air EIvia
Wo startod ott 1072 w|th a n|notoon-day UK tour w|th G|onn Corn|ck's band W||d 1urkoy. Wo
had thom support|ng us, bocauso latr|ck Voohan had toamod up w|th 3r|an lano and thoy
managod tho band. lano was tho managor ot Yos, wh|ch was why wo had thom on tho noxt tour
w|th us: th|rty-two shows throughout tho 3tatos and Canada, start|ng |n Varch, tho lron Van tour.
Us and Yos: |t was an oxtromo|y un||ko|y comb|nat|on. 1hoy hatod us, bocauso l'm suro |n tho|r
m|nds thoy woro tho c|ovor p|ayors and wo woro tho work|ng c|ass. 3omot|mos thoy ta|kod and
othor t|mos thoy wou|d wa|k stra|ght past you. vory strango. Yoars |ator wo a|| got a|ong t|no, but
|t took a |ong t|mo. And thoy woro tunny on stago. lt anyono mado a m|stako, tho daggors wou|d
bo out. Wo thought, what's a|| that about? Vus|c, somobody's mado a m|stako, so what? lt's a
good th|ng thoy woron't |n our band. Wo wou|d mako m|stakos ovory two m|nutos. |oro wo
woro, w|th thom as support|ng act w|th a|| tho|r c|ovor stutt com|ng out, and wo'ro go|ng 'bo|ng',
'c|unk', 'zzzzz'. 1hoy must havo gono: 'What tho tuck? What aro wo do|ng horo?'
1ho|r koyboard p|ayor, l|ck Wakoman, d|dn't got on w|th thom, so ho travo||od w|th us as
much as ho cou|d. Wo ||kod l|ck. l th|nk ho was |ntorostod |n p|ay|ng w|th us, but ho wou|d havo
boon too good, too much tor what wo wantod. Wo on|y wantod somoth|ng vory bas|c, that just
wont 'duh-duuh-duh'. lt wasn't ||ko Yos mus|c.
On our prov|ous tour ono n|ght, E|v|s was stay|ng at tho samo hoto| wo woro at. Wo wou|d soo
h|m como |n w|th a|| th|s socur|ty and go to tho top t|oor. Wo woro |nv|tod to go and soo E|v|s
portorm. l had a b|rd that n|ght, so l sa|d: 'l'm not go|ng.'
l rogrottod that attorwards, bocauso l d|dn't soo h|s show thon and l novor wou|d.
On th|s tour wo t|ow trom lA to vogas and back |n a p|ano that bo|ongod to E|v|s. loa||y
strango: a|| |oopard-sk|n soats |n thoro, vory t|ash. 1ho stowardoss on tho p|ano camo out w|th a
p|ato ot a|| d|ttoront co|ourod sandw|chos. l wont: '3||moy. What's th|s thon?'
'Wo||, |t's co|ourod broad.'
'Ah!'
lt must havo boon somoth|ng that E|v|s ||kod. 3ut |t was a n|co p|ano. Wo usod |t, bohavod
ourso|vos, |ott |t |n ono p|oco as, ot courso, wo woro vory rospocttu|. l moan, |t wos E|v|s!
20
Coing 5nowbIind
Wo took qu|to a |ong t|mo to wr|to and rohoarso tor tho Vo|omo 4 a|bum. lt's not ||ko |t was
bocom|ng hardor to como up w|th stutt, but tho pub was on|y a m||o away, so wo'd start to como
up w|th |doas, and |t was: 'Ah, oh . . .'
And thoy'd a|| go down to tho pub tor 'a' dr|nk.
l'd th|nk: l'm not go|ng to go, l'|| just s|t horo and try to como up w|th somoth|ng. l'd p|ay tor a
b|t, an hour, two hours, throo hours, and thoy'd a|| como back p|astorod: 'You got anyth|ng?'
Oh, groat! l to|t roa||y prossurod.
Whon |t was suggostod wo go to tho 3tatos to rocord, wo woro a|| vory much |n tavour ot tho
|doa. lt was a way to avo|d tho Eng||sh taxman and tho stud|o ratos woro bottor, choapor, out
thoro as wo||. Voro |mportant than that, wo thought |t wou|d bo n|co to roa||y go somowhoro o|so
to try and got a d|ttoront v|bo. Wo wont to los Ango|os |n Vay 1072. latr|ck Voohan know 1ohn
0upont, trom tho 0upont company, ||ghtors and pa|nts and a|| that. A b|g - bogo - company. Wo
rontod h|s houso |n 3o| A|r. lt was a groat p|aco w|th a b|g ba||room-typo room ovor|ook|ng tho
poo|. lt had a magn|t|cont v|ow ot lA, tho works. Wo a|| ||vod togothor thoro, tho band, Voohan
and thoso two |ronch au pa|r g|r|s who camo w|th tho houso.
1ho v|bo |n Amor|ca was groat. 1ho locord l|ant, whoro wo rocordod, was a stato-ot-tho-art
stud|o and tar bottor than what wo woro usod to. Wo doc|dod to produco Vo|omo 4 ourso|vos.
lt's not ||ko wo woro tod up w|th lodgor 3a|n or anyth|ng, l thought ho was a|| r|ght. 3ut wo had
dono so much stud|o work by thon, that wo to|t wo know how to do |t ourso|vos. l'vo hoard
lodgor has s|nco d|sappoarod and won't ta|k to anybody any moro. l don't got that. l wondor
why that wou|d bo.
latr|ck Voohan put h|mso|t down as producor as wo||. l don't know why ho d|d that o|thor. 3ut
ho was thoro, ho was |n tho contro| room and l supposo ho thought, oh l'|| just add my namo to |t.
Onco or tw|co ho may havo sa|d: 'What |t wo try . . .?' and that was |t, h|s part |n tho product|on.
lroduc|ng |t ourso|vos was ovorybody go|ng: 'l want my bass up', or 'l want th|s' and 'l want
that', but |t workod out okay. lt was on|y |ator, trom 5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb and onwards, that l
startod roa||y pok|ng my noso |n moro.
locord|ng took s|x wooks, maybo ovon two months. 0ur|ng that t|mo wo a|so sot somo goar
up at tho houso |n 3o| A|r, whoro wo wroto tho |ast ot tho songs. lt was a d|ttoront onv|ronmont,
ovorybody had a br|ghtor att|tudo and thoro was a schodu|o: 'Wo havo got to got |t dono.'
Wo woro st||| tuck|ng about and do|ng stup|d jokos, but |doas and tho songs woro com|ng out
qu|ck|y. lorhaps hav|ng |oads ot coca|no ho|pod spood th|ngs up as wo||. And wo had a |ot ot |t.
lt camo |n a soa|od box tho s|zo ot a spoakor, t|||od w|th t||os a|| covorod |n wax. You'd poo| tho
wax ott and |t was puro, tantast|c stutt and |oads ot |t. lt was ||ko 1ony Vontana |n tho mov|o
5cotoco: wo'd put a b|g p||o on tho tab|o, carvo |t a|| up and thon wo'd a|| havo a b|t, wo||, qu|to a
|ot. Word got around, and soon othor mus|c|ans, |ots ot womon and now 'tr|onds' camo to tho
houso and ovorybody was d|v|ng |n.
Ono sunny day wo woro s|tt|ng |n tho 1v room around a tab|o w|th coca|no t|ppod out on |t and
grass as wo||. 1h|s houso had a|| thoso buttons around a|| tho rooms. 3||| thought |t was tho
ma|d's button and prossod |t, but |t was an a|arm button tor tho tuck|ng 3o| A|r po||co. On|y a tow
m|nutos attor that l stood up, |ookod out ot tho w|ndow and thoro woro about s|x or o|ght po||co
cars |n our dr|vo. l shoutod: 'Ou|ck, tho po||co!'
Evorybody wont: '|ahaha!'
'l'm sor|ous, |t's tho po||co!'
Aga|n: '|ahaha!'
l had ||tora||y to got ono ot thom and go: 'look!'
And thon: 'Oooh, |t's tho po||co!'
Wo qu|ck|y scrapod a|| th|s coko and dopo ott tho tab|o. Wo had our own ||tt|o stashos |n our
rooms as wo||, so wo a|| rushod up thoro, try|ng to snort as much as wo cou|d botoro t|ush|ng tho
rost down tho to||ot. 1hon wo sa|d to ono ot tho au pa|rs: 'Ou|ck, answor tho door!'
3ho d|d and, ot courso, tho po||co camo |n. Wo woro s|tt|ng |n tho ba||room, a|| qu|ot-||ko, oyos
w|do opon. 1hoy sa|d: 'What's go|ng on |n thoro?'
'Vmmm, noth|ng ... Why?'
You cou|d obv|ous|y to|| wo woro out ot |t. 1hoy wantod to know what wo woro do|ng thoro, and
wo to|d thom wo'd rontod tho houso and so on and so on. lt was ho|| on oarth. lt thoy'd havo
soarchod us, wo wou|d havo gono down vory bad|y. 3ut thoy |ott attor wo oxp|a|nod about 3|||'s
button m|stako.
Wo t|ushod a |ot. Attorwards, ot courso, |t was: 'Oh tuck! lt's a|| gono, man! Ou|ck, phono tho
b|oko up aga|n. Got h|m ovor!'
ln tho locord l|ant, though, wo woro a b|t moro sor|ous. 3o|ng |n contro| |n tho stud|o wo woro
troo to oxpor|mont a b|t moro. 1ho t|rst throo a|bums cou|d'vo a|| boon trom tho samo batch
roa||y, but Vo|omo 4 was whon wo startod |ntroduc|ng d|ttoront th|ngs. l'd tound a p|ano |n tho
ba||room up at tho houso and l usod to p|ay that th|ng whon l'd had a m||||on ||nos ot coko. l'd
novor p|ayod tho p|ano botoro and l startod |oarn|ng |t r|ght thoro and thon, w|th|n a coup|o ot
wooks. V|nd you, l was up a|| b|oody n|ght ovory n|ght w|th a ||no ot coko, p|ay tor a b|t, anothor
||no ot coko, p|ay, so l was probab|y up tor tho oqu|va|ont ot s|x wooks. And wh||o do|ng that l
camo up w|th 'Changos'. Ozzy camo |n and sa|d: 'Oh l ||ko that', and startod s|ng|ng to |t. Wo got
tho Vo||otron |n and Goozor startod p|ay|ng that, ||ko an accompan|mont, an orchostra| th|ng.
And that was |t, wo doc|dod to rocord |t. lt soundod roa||y wo|rd, l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t was us. l
actua||y to|t protty ombarrassod, bocauso whon wo rocordod |t at tho locord l|ant, l|ck
Wakoman camo |n and ho sa|d: 'Who was that p|ay|ng tho p|ano?'
l thought, oh no, ho's go|ng to say: '1hat's crap, that |s.'
3ut ho ||kod |t.
l supposo wo cou|d havo askod somobody ||ko h|m to p|ay thoso koyboards, but Goozor and
mo wantod to do |t ourso|vos. 3oth ot us woro |oarn|ng, |t was a cha||ongo.
lt 'Changos' was unusua|, '|X' corta|n|y was way out thoro. Wo woro most|y nakod at tho t|mo
whon wo rocordod |t. Whon you'ro |n tho stud|o tor hours on ond smok|ng dopo, you go a b|t
mad. Wo startod p|ay|ng and woro danc|ng around ha|t nakod, just bo|ng stup|d. l h|t my gu|tar
w|th my cross, |t wont 'bo|ng!' and wo wont: 'Ooh!'
'3o|ng!'
'Aah!'
Evorybody thon dancod past tho gu|tar, h|tt|ng |t. Wo woro just p|ay|ng about. Wo d|dn't th|nk
ot us|ng th|s as a track, but thoy rocordod |t w|th a do|ay and wo thought, oh, yoah, hmmm, and
wo put |t on tho rocord. l a|ways put so much work |n ovory song, putt|ng a|| tho d|ttoront changos
|n and ovoryth|ng, and horo wo had a track that camo about acc|donta||y bocauso a coup|o ot
stonod poop|o woro h|tt|ng my gu|tar, and |t ondod up on tho a|bum. A tota| joko! lt on|y wo'd had
v|doos ot |t, |t wou|d havo boon amaz|ng.
Or not.
'laguna 3unr|so' was actua||y |nsp|rod by a sunr|so at laguna 3oach. l was thoro w|th 3pock,
ono ot tho guys ot our crow who was a good gu|tar p|ayor as wo||. Wo woro up a|| b|oody n|ght
and l just startod p|ay|ng th|s acoust|c gu|tar and camo up w|th th|s |doa. Wo a|so tr|od to work
out tho orchostra b|t tor |t. l had novor dono that botoro, as wo had novor usod orchostras up unt||
thon. l don't know how to wr|to mus|c out, but 3pock d|d, so wo tr|od to work out tho notos tor tho
orchostra to p|ay: 'What's that dot thoro? Okay, put that down.'
Wo wont |nto tho stud|o and, ot courso, tho orchostra wou|dn't accopt |t. 1hoy wantod a|| tho|r
parts wr|tton out propor|y and onco wo got somobody |n to do that, thoy woro groat. On tho ond
ot '3nowb||nd' wo a|so usod orchostras, and aga|n |ator on '3p|ra| Arch|toct' ott tho 5obbotb
B|oooy 5obbotb a|bum. And '3uportzar', ott 5obotogo, |s mo p|ay|ng hoavy gu|tar w|th a cho|r
and a harp p|ayor. l d|d th|ngs ||ko that to got a d|ttoront sound |nto our mus|c.
3||| noar|y d|dn't mako |t to tho ond ot tho rocord|ng procoss. Wo woro rummag|ng around tho
houso ono n|ght and |n tho garago wo tound a|| th|s 0upont pa|nt. Wo grabbod thoso spray t|ns
ot go|d pa|nt and th|s c|oar |acquor. Wo got back |nto tho houso and thoro was 3|||, p|ssod as a
parrot and on tho t|oor. Wo sa|d: 'Can wo spray you?'
Ot courso ho sa|d: 'Yos.'
Wo took a|| h|s c|othos ott, sprayod h|m, and ho had ovoryth|ng go|d. Wo thon got th|s c|oar
|acquor and sprayod h|m w|th that as wo||. lt was b|oody tunny. 3||| was |y|ng thoro, a|| sh|ny, thon
ho startod mak|ng thoso wo|rd ||tt|o no|sos. 1hon ho startod throw|ng up and ho wont |nto th|s
v|o|ont so|zuro.
Oh, tuck|ng ho||.
Wo phonod tor an ambu|anco and wo thought, how tho ho|| aro wo go|ng to oxp|a|n th|s?
'What's wrong w|th tho chap?'
'Wo|| . . . ho's sort ot |y|ng thoro and ho's . . . go|d.'
And thon try|ng to mako |t sound sor|ous: 'And ho's bo|ng roa||y s|ck.'
'Excuso mo, what oxact|y |s wrong w|th h|m?'
'Erm . . . ho's sprayod go|d and ho's on tho t|oor, nakod.'
1hoy camo out and gavo us a r|ght bo||ock|ng: 'You |d|ots. 0on't you roa||so you cou|d havo
k|||od tho man!'
Evoryth|ng was go|d, h|s arso, h|s board, tho who|o |ot. Apparont|y |t b|ocks a|| tho poros up
and you can d|o trom |t. 1hoy mado us show thom tho t|ns ot pa|nt that wo sprayod h|m w|th, and
th|s |acquor as wo||. 1hoy road tho t|ns, a|| sor|ous|y worr|od, and thon thoy |njoctod h|m w|th
somoth|ng. Voanwh||o, wo woro stand|ng thoro ||ko naughty boys, go|ng: 'ls ho go|ng to bo a||
r|ght?'
Wo dashod back to tho garago aga|n, tound somo th|nnors and usod that to got tho go|d ott
h|m as qu|ck|y as poss|b|o. lt was qu|to a job c|oan|ng h|m up. lt was a tun |doa, but |t roa||y
backt|rod.
locord|ng Vo|omo 4 was groat. Wo had tho 0upont houso, tho sun was sh|n|ng, thoro was
tho sw|mm|ng poo|, womon, ovoryth|ng. And coko, |ots ot coko. Wo had such a good t|mo that
wo d|dn't want |t to ond.
1owards tho ond ot our stay ono day wo part|od a ||tt|o too hard. Wo woro at tho houso and
startod moss|ng around. ||rst wo throw a tow th|ngs and |n tho ond wo got tho hosop|po |n,
squ|rt|ng |t at oach othor. Ozzy pa|ntod h|mso|t |n a|| thoso d|ttoront co|ours, wh|ch causod such a
moss. And thon tho doorbo|| rang. lt was tho ownor ot tho houso, 1ohn 0upont. Ozzy answorod
tho door, soakod and w|th a|| th|s pa|nt on h|s taco. 0upont wont: 'What tho ho|| |s go|ng on |n
horo?'
|o camo |n and |t was a tota| moss. l was stand|ng thoro w|th tho hoso, go|ng: 'Ah. |ow aro
you? l|co moot|ng you.'
|o had a go at latr|ck Voohan and wo had to pay h|m. 1ho s|tuat|on was so|vod by monoy.
As |t ho d|dn't havo onough, th|s 1ohn 0upont.
3ut crazy stutt ||ko that happonod bocauso wo woro happy thoro. Wo rohoarsod and camo up
w|th |doas and wroto stutt dur|ng tho day and at n|ght wo wont to tho la|nbow 3ar or whatovor
and part|od.
1hat who|o por|od was ono ot tho most onjoyab|o t|mos ovor, and a song ||ko '3nowb||nd'
makos |t c|oar that |t was a|so bocauso ot a corta|n drug. 1hat's why wo wroto on tho a|bum
s|oovo 'Wo w|sh to thank tho groat COKE-Co|a Company'.
1ust a ||tt|o thank-you nod to our supp||ors. l rontod a houso |n 3o| A|r aga|n a coup|o ot yoars
ago, whon wo woro work|ng on songs tor tho loovoo ooo lo|| a|bum, '1ho 0ov|| You Know'.
1ho 0upont houso was on 3trado||a load and, bocauso l wont out tor wa|ks a |ot, l passod |t
ovory morn|ng. Apparont|y |t's now ownod by tormor Char||o's Ango| 1ac|yn 3m|th, so l usod to
|ook |n, try|ng to catch a g||mpso.
3ut l novor d|d.
80
1hia ia your catain troaking . . .
Whon wo tourod Amor|ca |n tho summor ot 1072, wo travo||od around |n a pr|vato p|ano. Wo'd
t|y somowhoro, stay thoro tor a tow days to do tho g|gs |n tho aroa, and thon wo'd t|y ott to
somowhoro o|so to do tho samo th|ng. lt at a|| poss|b|o wo'd stay |n ||or|da so wo cou|d bo on
tho boach dur|ng tho day. ||y|ng pr|vato p|anos was a Voohan th|ng. Wo had a|roady usod thom
back |n 1071 on tho Potooolo tour. ln Varch ot that yoar wo tourod tho 3tatos w|th ||ootwood
Vac, and thoy hoppod on a t||ght w|th us. Ozzy sat |n tho tront and wo woro a|| chatt|ng away |n
tho back. 3uddon|y tho p|ano d|vod and wont: 'vroooom!'
Ozzy had takon tho contro|s. l don't know why on oarth tho p||ot |ot h|m do |t! l shat myso|t.
3|oody ho||! 3ut ot courso Ozzy thought |t was h||ar|ous. Evorybody was scroam|ng and shout|ng
so ho d|d aga|n: 'Woo-hoo!'
lt d|dn't do much tor 3|||'s toar ot t|y|ng. |o usod to got torr|t|od and noodod to tako va||um to
got on a t||ght. |o soon startod dr|v|ng |nstoad ot t|y|ng. |o had a GVC mob||o homo and h|s
brothor, 1|m, drovo h|m trom ono g|g to tho noxt. Occas|ona||y thoy'd havo to stop at ono ot thoso
p|acos whoro you havo to dump a|| tho contonts trom tho to||ot. Ono day 1|m was push|ng tho
button that was supposod to ro|oaso a|| tho sh|t and noth|ng was happon|ng, so 3||| doc|dod to
got undornoath to soo what was wrong. |o had got |nto C3 lad|o, ||ko tho truckors, and ho was
go|ng through a stago ot ta|k|ng ||ko that, w|th a|| th|s 'broakor 1-0, como |n 3u||dog, 10-4' stutt.
3o 3||| was undor tho bus, go|ng: '1horo's a nogat|vo on tho sh|t, 1|m, a nogat|vo on tho sh|t.
loth|ng's happon|ng, nogat|vo.'
|o was bang|ng away at stutt, thon h|s brothor pu||od a |ovor aga|n and a|| th|s sh|t and b|uo
sowago stutt just wont a|| ovor h|m.
3|workk!
3||| just wont: 'l'vo got a pos|t|vo on tho sh|t, 1|m, pos|t|vo on tho sh|t.'
1|m pu||od tho bus torward and thoro was tho out||no ot 3||| on tho ground w|th th|s p||o ot sh|t
around |t. ||s taco was covorod |n |t and ho |ookod ||ko tho Croaturo trom tho 3|ack lagoon. lt
was ono ot thoso c|ass|c momonts.
1yp|ca| 3|||.
81
A rathor whito wodding
Vy t|rst w|to was 3usan 3nowdon. l mot hor through latr|ck Voohan |n h|s ott|co |n london.
Voohan was trom a vory wo||-to-do tam||y h|mso|t. |o m|xod w|th h|gh-soc|oty poop|o, had tho
su|t and tho lo||s and wont to a|| tho |n p|acos. l prosumo that's how ho mot 3usan. 3ho wantod
to do somo s|ng|ng, so l sa|d: 'l'|| wr|to you a song.'
Ot courso l novor d|d. 3ho camo up to my houso ono day and |t was a b|t awkward: l tound out
sho cou|dn't s|ng at a|| and sho tound out l hadn't wr|tton a song tor hor. 3ut wo d|d go out to
d|nnor, and that's how |t a|| startod.
Wo woro tota||y oppos|to poop|o. 3usan's paronts and hor tam||y woro a|| r|ght, but somo ot
hor tr|onds, b|oody ho||: 'Oh, what do you do thon, you p|ay tho, ah, what |s |t, a p||nk a p|onk, ah,
you do th|s?'
vory condoscond|ng. l roa||y d|d not want to go noar thoso poop|o. 3usan roactod to my
tr|onds |n much tho samo way as l roactod to hors, so sho'd go and soo hor tr|onds and l'd go
and soo m|no. 1hat m|ght not sound ||ko a vory so||d bas|s tor a ro|at|onsh|p, but wo |astod tor
o|ght yoars, a ta|r|y |ong t|mo. Ot courso l was on tour most ot that t|mo. Wo had a vory pocu||ar
ro|at|onsh|p. 3ho was a|ways too posh tor mo, roa||y.
Wo p|annod to got marr|od on 8 lovombor 1078. 3otoro l cou|d marry 3usan, l had to moot
hor paronts at tho|r onormous mans|on and ask hor tathor tor h|s daughtor's hand. l was roa||y
norvous whon l got thoro. 1hoy brought tho cakos out and tho toa and toapots and ||tt|o cups and
l thought, God, l hopo l don't knock somoth|ng ovor. 3ut hor tathor and mothor woro vory down-
to-oarth, honourab|o poop|o. l got on roa||y wo|| w|th thom. Ot courso, whon wo got marr|od, wo
woro go|ng to havo tho rocopt|on at tho|r houso. l was th|nk|ng, oh b|oody ho||, what's go|ng to
happon whon thoy soo my tr|onds?
3ut t|rst l noodod to surv|vo my stag n|ght. lt was on|y 1ohn 3onham, mo and a dr|vor. Wo wont
to c|ubs around 3|rm|ngham, and tho |ast ono wo h|t just botoro c|os|ng t|mo was 3|oopy's on
Corporat|on 3troot. 1ohn sa|d: 'lot's go and havo ono |ast dr|nk.'
l|ght, ono |ast dr|nk . . . ho had tho b|oody bar ||nod up w|th two|vo bott|os ot champagno and
two|vo g|assos, and ho sa|d to tho bartondor: 'lour thom out!'
l thought ho was go|ng to troat ovorybody |n tho c|ub, but, no, ho sa|d: '1h|s |s tor you.'
'|uck ott, 1ohn, l'm gott|ng marr|od |n tho morn|ng. lt l dr|nk that, you'ro novor go|ng to soo mo
thoro!'
'Wo||, l'|| dr|nk thom thon.'
Wh|ch ho du|y d|d. Ot courso, w|th|n ha|t an hour ho was abso|uto|y para|yt|c, and ho was
go|ng: 'Whuohhou . . .'
1o mako mattors worso, tho c|ub was c|os|ng and wo had to got out. 3|oopy's was upsta|rs
and tho sta|rs to tho ox|t woro stoop. On our way out 1ohn grabbod tho ownor ot tho c|ub around
tho nock and ot courso tho b|oko to|| down tho sta|rs. |o hurt h|mso|t so ho wasn't vory happy.
Our dr|vor and mo t|na||y managod to got 3onham out ot tho c|ub and |nto tho car, and wo took
h|m homo t|rst. Whon wo got to 1ohn's houso ho d|dn't havo h|s koys on h|m. lt was tour o'c|ock
|n tho morn|ng. l prossod tho doorbo||: noth|ng. Aga|n: noth|ng. 1hon tho ||ghts wont on upsta|rs.
||s w|to, lat, oponod a w|ndow and shoutod: '|o's not com|ng |n!'
l sa|d: 'lat, p|oaso, |ot h|m |n. l'm gott|ng marr|od |n tho morn|ng and ho's got to bo thoro.'
'|o's not com|ng |n!'
'l|oaso!'
||na||y lat sa|d: 'A|| r|ght, but ho's not com|ng upsta|rs thon! lt ho's com|ng |n, ho can s|oop
downsta|rs.'
'Okay.'
3ho camo down, oponod tho door and ran stra|ght back upsta|rs. Wo carr|od 1ohn |n, put h|m
|n tho ha||way, sat h|m aga|nst a rad|ator and l sa|d to h|m: 'You'ro not go|ng to mako |t
tomorrow, aro you?'
|o put h|s thumb up and s|urrod: 'Yoah, l'|| bo thoro.'
1ho dr|vor took mo homo and l thought, b|oody ho||, 1ohn's novor go|ng to turn up and l'|| bo
w|thout a bost man.
l had to bo thoro at somo s|||y hour and l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t: o|ght o'c|ock sharp l saw 3onham
com|ng up tho dr|vo, w|th h|s top hat and ta||s on, a|| drossod up. |o ||vod a good th|rty-t|vo
m|nutos trom my houso and l hadn't ovon had a shavo or anyth|ng yot. l oponod tho door and ho
was a|| ch|ppor and onorgot|c, go|ng: 'l'm roady. Aro you?'
l actua||y to|t worso than h|m. Wo got |n tho car and ot courso wo |mmod|ato|y d|d a qu|ck
coup|o ot toots. l thought, oh doar, so th|s |s how tho day |s go|ng to bo. Wo got to tho b|oody
church and, botoro wo wont |n, a|| our |ot kopt d|sappoar|ng boh|nd tho bu||d|ng, ono attor tho
othor, hav|ng a ||no. Como back, snort and go: 'l|ght!'
And thon somobody o|so wou|d go: 'l'|| bo back |n a m|nuto.'
On my w|to's s|do thoy woro wondor|ng whoro thoy kopt go|ng ott to and l was th|nk|ng, Chr|st,
l can't do th|s! Onco |ns|do, my tr|onds woro a|| sn|tt|ng and snort|ng, a|| thoso sounds go|ng on |n
tho church, |t was torr|b|o. And thon you had hor s|do, a|| |mmacu|ato and stra|ght.
l had wr|tton th|s |nstrumonta| th|ng ca||od '||utt '. 1hoy p|ayod tho tapo whon 3usan wa|kod
down tho |s|o and |t startod go|ng wrong. ||rst |t camo on and thon |t wont ott and |t camo on
aga|n and ovorybody startod g|gg||ng. A tota| d|sastor.
Whon tho guy sa|d: 'ls thoro anybody horo who's got anyth|ng to say about why thoso two
shou|d not bo jo|nod |n matr|mony?' l was conv|ncod somobody was go|ng to shout out. 3ut thoy
d|dn't. 1hoy woro just snoor|ng. l was b|oody g|ad to got out ot that church.
Whon wo got back to tho houso tor tho rocopt|on, thoy woro a|| d|sappoar|ng aga|n. Voro
||nos. Vy mothor-|n-|aw sa|d: 'lt's tunny, nono ot your tr|onds aro oat|ng.'
Ot courso l sa|d: 'Oh roa||y? l wondor why.'
1ohn 3onham and Ozzy and a tow othors woro notor|ous dr|nkors who'd p|ay up onco thoy'd
had a tow. 1hat's why wo thought |t bost just to havo a toast |n champagno and attor that not to
havo any moro a|coho|. lt roa||y d|dn't go down vory wo||. Wo had tho champagno toast and thon
a top-up w|th app|o ju|co and 3onham spat |t out and wont: '|uck|ng app|o ju|co!'
3usan's s|do novor sworo, so l thought, oh no, th|s w||| upsot tho cart. Vy mothor savod tho
day. 3ho sa|d to 3onham: '0on't worry, 1ohn. Wo'|| go back to my houso. l'vo got p|onty ot boozo
thoro.'
1hoy a|| snoakod ott to Vum's houso and carr|od on dr|nk|ng thoro. lt |t woron't tor hor thoro
wou|d havo probab|y boon ant|quos go|ng through tho wa||s, on account ot a|| that app|o ju|co.
82
Coing to tho big houao
3usan d|dn't want to ||vo |n my houso |n 3tattord, so wo doc|dod to movo to a p|aco botwoon
london and 3|rm|ngham. Wo woro |ook|ng at housos to buy, but cou|dn't t|nd anyth|ng wo ||kod.
Ono day hor dad sa|d: 'Why don't you como and ||vo horo? 1h|s houso |s tar too b|g tor us.'
3uo wont: '1hat's an |doa.'
And so wo d|d. Wo had a major part ot th|s mass|vo, 200-room houso. Vy tathor-|n-|aw bu||t a
part|t|on botwoon tho|r ||v|ng quartors and ours and wo ||vod thoro tor qu|to a tow yoars.
1ust ||ko |n Car||s|o, wo woron't tho on|y onos thoro. l saw an appar|t|on go|ng up tho sta|rs ono
n|ght. lt wasn't ||ko a throo-d|mons|ona| porson, |t was moro ||ko a t|guro. And l had moro wo|rd
th|ngs happon|ng thoro. Wo had thoso b|g, o|d-tash|onod koys |n tho doors to a|| tho bodrooms. l
was |n tho |oungo ono n|ght and l had my br|otcaso opon. l c|osod |t and l wont upsta|rs to bod. l
hoard th|s b|g bang and ran downsta|rs aga|n. Ono ot tho b|g pa|nt|ngs had ta||on ott tho wa||. l
wa|kod |nto tho |oungo and my br|otcaso was opon. And l wont to opon tho door and tho koys
had gono. A|| ot thom. lovor tound thom aga|n. l ta|kod about th|s to my |n-|aws and thoy sa|d:
'Yoah, thoro |s a ghost horo. 3ut ho's a tr|ond|y ghost.'
1h|ngs ||ko that mako you roa||y th|nk. A po|torgo|st, tor a start, can bo horr|b|o, but . . . thoy
can movo an objoct! l'vo a|ways boon ab|o to soo th|ngs that most othor poop|o can't. lt's hard to
ta|k about |t, bocauso poop|o th|nk, r|ght, ho's had too many drugs. 3ut l actua||y d|d soo th|ngs,
||ko tho Car||s|o ghost. 3aw h|m as c|oar as day.
l a|ways wondorod about what happons whon you d|o, whon you'ro boyond th|s wor|d, and
tr|od to t|nd |ntormat|on about that |n books. Wh||o ||v|ng at tho b|g houso, l road a |ot ot books by
lobsang lampa. |o was a wr|tor who c|a|mod to havo boon a 1|botan monk botoro spond|ng
h|s |ator yoars |n tho body ot an Eng||shman, or so ho wroto. l startod gott|ng |nto a|| th|s |oav|ng
tho body stutt, astra| travo|||ng. l roa||y bo||ovod |n |t and that mado mo want to do |t. l p|annod |t
and thought about |t and l tr|od |t a tow t|mos, but noth|ng happonod. Whon l t|na||y managod to
do |t tor tho t|rst t|mo, l camo out ot my body and, w|th a jo|t, suddon|y jumpod back |n. You too| |t
pu|||ng you back as your astra| |s |oav|ng your body, you too| th|s pu|| up your sp|no. l must havo
got tr|ghtonod and l camo stra|ght back |n.
Onco l had dono that l was dotorm|nod to mako |t work propor|y. l kopt pract|s|ng. You'vo got
to bo by yourso|t |n a room and you havo to roa||y, roa||y ro|ax, but not to tho po|nt ot ta|||ng
as|oop, bocauso you havo to stay consc|ous. And thon you w||| yourso|t to |oavo. At t|rst |t's tunny,
bocauso you too| ||ko you'ro ta|||ng. Vost poop|o havo had that too||ng whon |n bod. You go,
oohh: you oxpor|onco a jo|t. 1hat's whon your astra| comos back |n your body whon you droam.
You'ro as|oop and you'ro just about to |oavo your body, and |t you movo, whoot, |t comos stra|ght
back |n and you got that jo|t.
Attor a wh||o |t workod. l camo out my body. lt was wo|rd. l t|oatod around tho room and |ookod
down on myso|t trom tho co|||ng. And l cou|d |oavo tho room, go through wa||s and go ott to tho
root. lt sounds mad, but onco l ovon wont a|ong tho boach.
You como back. You'ro attachod by a s||vor cord that pu||s you back. lt that's ovor sovorod, you
don't, so |t can bo r|sky. Whon you droam and your astra| |oavos your body, and an ont|ty |s |n
tho |owor-c|ass astra|, and |t pu||s on your s||vor cord and annoys you, you got thoso horr|b|o
droams. lt cou|d bo causod by drugs or dr|nk, just anyth|ng. l know |t sounds odd, but l havo
oxpor|oncod a|| that and |t oponod anothor wor|d to mo.
l don't know why l don't do |t any moro. l d|dn't to||ow |t through. l havo actua||y tr|od |t a coup|o
ot t|mos and: noth|ng. l can't |oavo my body any moro. 3ut |n thoso days l cou|d do |t qu|to oas||y.
l got to a po|nt whoro l cou|d do |t w|thout ta|||ng as|oop.
l st||| bo||ovo you can go to a non-phys|ca| p|ano ot ox|stonco. Whon you d|o you can go thoro,
and you can |ook back on your ||to |n a th|ng ca||od tho akash|c rocords. l roa||y th|nk that's what
happons: you can go and soo whothor you'vo ach|ovod what you wantod to ach|ovo, and |t not
you can bo born |nto anothor body and try aga|n . . .
3ack to tho roa||ty ot ||v|ng |n that hugo houso, l tr|od to robu||d and rodocorato |t. l phonod up
th|s ono company and l saw th|s pa|ntor and docorator's van como up tho |ong dr|vo. |o camo to
tho houso, |ookod at |t, turnod around and drovo stra|ght ott. l just cou|dn't t|nd tho poop|o who
cou|d tako on a p|aco that s|zo, so l had to got contractors |n who norma||y d|d schoo|s. You
wou|dn't bo ab|o to buy hugo proport|os ||ko that any moro, but |n thoso days thoy woro st||| qu|to
attordab|o. And now |t's a wondortu| hoto|, K||worth |ouso. 1ho o|d snookor room |s now tho
d|n|ng room, and tho consorvatory |s st||| |ntact as thoro woro on|y throo ot thoso |n tho country
and thoro |s a prosorvat|on ordor on |t. A|| l d|d w|th |t at tho t|mo was grow tomatoos |n |t, and
somo oxot|c p|ants. 3ut probab|y tho most oxot|c th|ng |n that p|aco at tho t|mo was a |ong-ha|rod
guy trom Aston, who on|y a tow yoars oar||or had sharod h|s t|ny bodroom w|th a |odgor who
camo trom nowhoro, a m||||on boxos ot poas and a phono that kopt d|sappoar|ng.
88
Ono againat naturo
On 2 1anuary 1078, wo t|ow ott to low Zoa|and tor tho Groat lgaruawah|a Vus|c |ost|va| ot
loaco noar |am||ton C|ty, to||owod by a tow shows |n Austra||a. On our way thoro tho p|ano
stoppod |n low 0o|h| and b|oody 3|ngaporo and ovorywhoro |n botwoon and boyond, and wo'd
havo to got ott tho p|ano, wa|t an hour, got on aga|n. lt took torovor. Wo got p|ssod, sobor,
p|ssod, sobor . . .
At th|s lgaruawah|a |ost|va| somobody oroctod a hugo cross on a h||| and sot |t on t|ro. l don't
know why ho d|d th|s, but |t |ookod roa||y good. l can't romombor much o|so about that. 1ho tr|p
to |t |s st||| otchod on my m|nd, but tho momory ot tho g|g |tso|t must havo gono up |n t|amos
togothor w|th that cross.
Attor low Zoa|and wo had a gap botoro tho noxt shows |n Austra||a. latr|ck Voohan sa|d:
'lot's tako a broak and go to ||j|!'
3o ott wo wont. Aga|n, |t was a roa| p|g to got thoro and attor wo |andod tho dr|vo a|ong a d|rt
track to tho hoto| |n tho m|dd|o ot nowhoro was d|abo||ca|. lt was a |ovo|y p|aco, c|oso to an
oqua||y |ovo|y boach, but at n|ght |t took on anothor ||to.
1h|s hoto| had an outs|do bar. 1horo woro no drugs at a|| |n ||j|, but thoro was p|onty ot
dr|nk|ng go|ng on. ln tho m|dd|o ot tho n|ght l wont back to my room and thoro woro so many
bugs and cockroachos scurry|ng across tho tootpath that wa|k|ng a|ong a|| you'd bo hoar|ng was
'crunch, crunch'. l wont |nto my room and l got |nto bod. l put tho ||ght out to go to s|oop and l to|t
somoth|ng on my chost. l put my hand thoro and |t was a cockroach about throo |nchos |ong. l
shot up, put tho ||ght on and l cou|d hoar 'krrch, krrch' - a|| ot thom runn|ng across tho stono t|oor
to go down th|s dra|n |n tho room. lt was abso|uto|y awtu|. ln a pan|c l phonod tho rocopt|on,
scroam|ng: 'Got ovor horo!'
1h|s guy wandorod |n, a|| casua|, w|th a t|n ot spray. |o gavo mo tho t|n and ott ho wont, just
||ko, wo||, what's ho moan|ng about?
l sa|d: 'ls that |t?'
You cou|dn't k||| thom o|thor. lt's ||ko thoy woro mado ot stono. l was h|tt|ng thom w|th my shoo,
and |t was just ||ko . . . noth|ng. 3t||| go|ng 'krrrrch!' A b|oody army ot thom.
|orr|b|o!
ln ||j| |t was a|so tho t|rst and tho |ast t|mo wo a|| p|ayod go|t. Wo woro morr||y shank|ng our
way to tho t|rst groon whon l saw th|s toad hopp|ng around and l p|ckod |t up. 1h|s b|oko camo
runn|ng towards mo, scroam|ng: 'lo, no, no!'
Apparont|y th|s was a doad|y po|sonous toad. lt had a|| th|s stutt com|ng out on to my hand. l
shot back to tho hoto| |n a pan|c, to wash |t ott |n a hurry.
Voanwh||o, 3||| stoppod |nto an anth||| and suddon|y a|| thoso ants woro march|ng up h|s |og.
1hoy b|t h|m so ho was danc|ng a|| ovor tho p|aco, go|ng: 'Aah, uh, oh, oohh!'
A |o|suro|y gamo ot go|t and l noar|y got po|sonod to doath and so d|d 3|||. Wo packod up
attor that. l don't th|nk wo ovon mado |t past tho socond ho|o.
Apart trom a|| that, |t was |ovo|y |n ||j|. Wo wont out on a boat, sat on tho boach and thon to
th|s bar at n|ght, just do|ng tho th|ngs you do wh||o on a ho||day.
3ut l novor got a propor n|ght's s|oop thoro.
84
1ho woII runa dry
Wo'd had such a groat t|mo do|ng Vo|omo 4 |n los Ango|os, and wo wantod to rocroato tho
oxpor|onco tor what was to bocomo our noxt a|bum, 5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb. Wo a|| wont
back to lA and rontod tho samo houso. Attor us ru|n|ng tho p|aco tho t|rst t|mo, 1ohn 0upont
must havo got a wad ot monoy to a||ow us back. Wo a|so roturnod to tho locord l|ant, but tho
room was d|ttoront.
'What's happonod? lt's roa||y sma|| now!'
'Oh, wo bu||t th|s Voog |n horo tor 3tov|o Wondor.'
'Oh, no!'
3ack at tho houso l tr|od to como up w|th |doas, but l cou|dn't th|nk ot anyth|ng. l don't know
what |t was. l just cou|dn't got |t. 1hon l startod pan|ck|ng: 'Oh, no, what am l go|ng to do!'
Up unt|| that t|mo, whon wo wont somowhoro to wr|to and rohoarso, l to|t that most ot tho t|mo
ovorybody was dy|ng to go down tho pub |nstoad ot work|ng at tho songs. 3ut you nood to got
stutt dono. lt's qu|to oasy to s|t around, to|||ng jokos and booz|ng, but tho monoy |s go|ng out ot
tho w|ndow ||ko th|s, s|tt|ng |n somo stud|o tor b|oody two grand a day or whatovor |t was. 3o l
was roa||y awaro ot that.
lt was a|roady gott|ng hardor around tho t|mo wo woro work|ng thoro on Vo|omo 4, bocauso
wo woro ostab||shod by thon. ln tho past l'd say: 'Como on, wo'vo roa||y got to work on th|s!'
1ho guys wou|d ||ston to mo, bocauso l had a|ways boon |ookod on as tho |oador ot tho band.
3ut at bost l was a vory ro|uctant |oador. lt was a ro|o that ovontua||y got to mo, bocauso |t
somoth|ng wont wrong l had to bo tho p|||ar ovorybody |oanod on and to say: 'Evoryth|ng's t|no,
|t's go|ng to bo a|| r|ght.'
lt l had brokon down, l th|nk ovorybody wou|d just havo ta||on to p|ocos. Vo bo||ov|ng |n what
wo d|d and not |ott|ng th|ngs got to us, l th|nk tho othor guys |ookod at |t as a strongth th|ng.
Vaybo mo bo|ng phys|ca||y tho strongost a|so had somoth|ng to do w|th |t. lt wo had a t|ght |t
wou|d a|ways bo mo thoy'd ca|| tor. lt happonod qu|to a tow t|mos. l camo back to tho hoto| ono
n|ght and 3||| camo runn|ng towards mo, shout|ng: 'Oh Chr|st, you'ro back! Ozzy and Goozor aro
t|ght|ng upsta|rs, you'vo got to como up qu|ck!'
'Oh, tuck!'
l shot up thoro and thoy woro drunk and roa||y go|ng at |t. Ozzy was on top ot Goozor and ho
was woar|ng th|s |ong m|nk coat. l grabbod Ozzy by tho co||ar to pu|| h|m ott. 1ho noxt th|ng l
know l was stand|ng w|th tho co||ar ho|d h|gh, wh||o Ozzy was st||| down thoro pound|ng on
Goozor - l'd torn tho th|ng c|oar ott. l p|ckod Ozzy up and ho took a sw|ng at mo, so l |andod ono
on h|s jaw and ho wont down. l to|t bad, bocauso l d|dn't want to do that. 3ut l was put |n that
pos|t|on, somobody had to bo |n contro| bocauso othorw|so |t wou|d go a|| ovor tho p|aco.
Ozzy has sa|d |n tho past that ho to|t that l a|ways had a barr|or around mo. 1hat's probab|y
bocauso l tr|od not to got |nvo|vod w|th tho party|ng so much. Wo usod to stay |n thoso poxy
hoto|s whoro you cou|d hoar ovoryth|ng through tho wa||s. l otton hoard poop|o scroam|ng and
smok|ng dopo and hav|ng a good t|mo, but l to|t that |t l wont and jo|nod thom wo'd a|| bo |n tho
samo boat, so l d|dn't. 3omobody had to bo |n contro| |t somoth|ng wont wrong. lt l'd bocomo tho
samo, nobody wou|d havo ||stonod to mo any moro. l th|nk you havo to ma|nta|n somo sort ot
soparat|on. lt's a b|t ||ko bo|ng tho ott|co managor: whon poop|o havo a prob|om thoy go to h|s
ott|co. W|th 3|ack 3abbath |t was a b|t tho samo, roa||y. l d|dn't want that, but that's tho way |t
was. l can't say l was rospons|b|o a|| tho t|mo bocauso l'vo corta|n|y dono my sharo ot stup|d
th|ngs and |n my own ||tt|o wor|d l was as bad as Ozzy, but l cou|dn't |ot tho who|o th|ng got too
c|oso.
l th|nk tor many yoars Ozzy was tr|ghtonod ot mo and |t l sa|d: 'Wo nood to th|s and wo'vo got
to do that', ho wou|d ||ston. l bocamo tho bu||y aga|n, wh|ch l d|dn't want to bo. 3ut somobody
had to do |t. 1ho who|o purposo ot |t was to tunct|on, got tho band on tho road and work, w|th as
||tt|o aggravat|on as poss|b|o. lt somobody wont: 'l'm not p|ay|ng ton|ght, l'm t|rod', somoono had
to say: '|uck |t, you'vo got to p|ay!'
3o|ng |n a band |sn't a|| tun, |t's b|oody hard. l th|nk you'vo got to doa| w|th ovoryth|ng ||to has |n
storo tor you, no mattor how bad that m|ght bo. l tond to t|ght through a |ot ot stutt, so |t's hard tor
mo to undorstand othor poop|o not do|ng tho samo. l wou|dn't oxpoct somoth|ng to so|vo my
prob|oms, go|ng: 'l'|| tako ono ot thoso p|||s and ovoryth|ng w||| bo a|| r|ght.'
lt's ||ko thoso rohabs: l wou|d novor go to ono. l just th|nk |t's a cop out, go|ng |nto rohab and
wa|k|ng out and say|ng: 'Ah, l'vo boon to rohab.'
Ozzy wont |nto tho 3otty |ord C||n|c and thoy had h|m scrubb|ng tho t|oors. |ow was that
go|ng to rohab h|m? You cou|d do that at homo! l just th|nk a |ot ot |t |s brought on by yourso|t, you
can contro| |t to a po|nt. l|ko w|th mo, at somo po|nt l was tak|ng |oads ot coko. l cou|d havo
sa|d: 'l'm go|ng to go |nto rohab' but l d|dn't. l stoppod on my own.
lt doos tako a |ot ot dotorm|nat|on and that's somoth|ng l roa||y do havo. 1hat comos trom tho
way l was brought up. l was a|ways bo|ng to|d by Vum and 0ad: 'Oh, you'ro novor go|ng to do
any good.'
Vy othor ro|at|vos ch|mod |n as wo||: 'Why don't you got a propor job ||ko your cous|n!'
3ocauso ot that l bocamo vory dotorm|nod to ach|ovo somoth|ng, no mattor what got |n my
way, |t on|y to provo to thom that l cou|d. lt gavo mo tho dotorm|nat|on to t|ght on. lt's ||ko whon l
cut tho onds ot my t|ngors ott and thoy to|d mo l cou|d novor p|ay aga|n. l wou|dn't accopt that.
l'm suro |t has actua||y ho|pod 3|ack 3abbath. l was tho dr|v|ng torco |n tho band, l mado thom
rohoarso and got thom ott tho|r arsos to do ovoryth|ng noodod to ach|ovo what thoy wantod to
ach|ovo. l saw that |t noodod somo contro|. You can't just a|| go ott w|||y-n|||y and oxpoct
ovoryth|ng to happon just ||ko that.
3ut as wo got moro popu|ar, l was |oss and |oss |n a pos|t|on to t|rm|y tako tho ro|ns any moro.
And w|th nobody thoro to contro| |t, |t just got out ot hand. lt wo woro work|ng |n tho stud|o but
thoy doc|dod to go down tho pub, thoy'd go down tho pub. lt thoro was a part|cu|ar part whoro l
was try|ng to th|nk ot somoth|ng tor maybo t|ttoon m|nutos, thoy'd got |mpat|ont and say to oach
othor: 'Oh . . . sha|| wo go and havo a dr|nk?'
1ho rost ot tho day wou|d bo shot, and thon tho noxt day |t'd bo tho samo, unt|| l camo up w|th
stutt to work on. 1hat bocamo hardor and hardor. lt you havo no ono to bounco |doas ott, |t
bocomos a|most |mposs|b|o, and l d|dn't havo that any moro. ln tho oar|y days, whon wo jammod
l'd como up w|th r|tts and thon ovorybody wou|d bo onthus|ast|c, putt|ng stutt |n. Wo had now
roachod a po|nt whoro |t was ||ko: 'Oh, wo got to do anothor a|bum', and nobody was mot|vatod
onough to roa||y do |t.
Vy ro|o was to como up w|th tho mus|c, w|th tho r|tts. 1hat probab|y stoppod tho othors trom
wr|t|ng mus|c. lt l d|dn't como up w|th anyth|ng, wo wou|dn't do anyth|ng. l to|t tho prossuro ot that,
but l had a|ways boon ab|o to copo w|th |t. |owovor, |t got to mo whon wo noodod to do 5obbotb
B|oooy 5obbotb. Wo woro a|| back aga|n |n 3o| A|r, s|tt|ng |n tho ba||room ot 1ohn 0upont's
houso. Evorybody was |ook|ng at mo and l cou|dn't got |nto tho v|bo at a||. lt was tota||y d|ttoront. l
just cou|dn't tunct|on. l got wr|tor's b|ock and l cou|dn't th|nk.
3o wo knockod |t on tho hoad and movod ovoryth|ng out. Wo got back homo to Eng|and a||
doprossod. 1ho othor throo thought, that's tho ond ot that now. l romombor Goozor and Ozzy
ta|k|ng ||ko |t was a|| ovor. l pan|ckod. l thought, b||moy, |t's novor go|ng to happon aga|n. Vy
God, l'vo |ost |t a||!
Attor a coup|o ot wooks or so wo rontod C|oarwo|| Cast|o |n G|oucostorsh|ro to soo |t wo cou|d
got tho v|bo back and wr|to aga|n. Wo woro just |ook|ng tor somoth|ng d|ttoront. Evoryth|ng |n
th|s p|aco was d|sma|, ospoc|a||y |ts dungoons. lt was roa||y croopy down thoro. lt was a b|g
spaco w|th an armoury, anothor room w|th somoth|ng o|so |n |t and a |oungo. Wo sot our goar up
thoro and tr|od to got a v|bo. Wo corta|n|y got ono: l wa|kod down th|s |ong corr|dor w|th Goozor
and wo saw somobody com|ng towards us.
'Who's that?'
'0on't know.'
Wo had no |doa who |t cou|d bo, bocauso wo had rontod tho who|o cast|o. Wo saw th|s b|oko
com|ng up, just th|s b|ack t|guro, and ho wont |nto tho armoury. Wo |ookod at oach othor,
to||owod h|m |nto tho armoury and . . . noth|ng! lt was just a baro room w|th a b|g tab|o w|th
woapons on |t and swords and sh|o|ds a|| ovor tho wa||s. And that was |t. lo othor doors out. lt
batt|od us: 'What happonod to h|m? Whoro's ho gono? 3|oody ho||, th|s |s roa||y wo|rd!'
Wo |ookod ovorywhoro but thoro was no trapdoor or anyth|ng |n thoro. |o cou|dn't h|do undor
tho tab|o o|thor, bocauso you cou|d soo undor that. Wo got |n touch w|th tho woman who ownod
tho cast|o and sho sa|d: 'Oh, was |t a guy w|th a hat on?'
l sa|d: 'Wo||, wo just saw th|s t|guro com|ng up.'
'Oh, that's so-and-so, tho cast|o ghost. You may occas|ona||y soo th|s porson.'
As |t |t was tho most norma| th|ng |n tho wor|d. 3|oody ho||. 3ut wo d|dn't soo h|m aga|n.
About tho samo t|mo wo saw our ghost, Ozzy to|| as|oop |n tho |oungo, wh|ch had a b|g
t|rop|aco. |o had stokod tho coa| t|ro up roa||y h|gh and ono ot tho p|ocos ot coa| to|| out on to
tho rug and sot |t on t|ro. Wo camo |n and ho was spark out on tho couch and about to burn to
doath. lt's a hab|t ot h|s, bu||d|ng tho t|ro up too h|gh. lt happonod |n h|s own houso. |o sot tho
ch|mnoy on t|ro and thoy had to got tho ||ro 3r|gado out bocauso tho houso startod burn|ng
down. And th|s t|mo, |t wo'd como |n a ||tt|o |ator, Ozzy wou|d'vo bocomo a ghost h|mso|t.
Attor to|||ng tho othors about tho ghost, wo startod tr|ghton|ng oach othor. Our road|o, luko,
stayod |n ono ot tho rooms. lt had th|s b|g bod and n|co curta|ns, and thoro was th|s modo| ot a
b|g sh|p abovo tho t|rop|aco. l got somo t|sh|ng ||no, put |t undor tho carpots and t|xod ||nos to tho
curta|ns and tho sh|p. 1hon l |abo||od thom a|| outs|do tho door and put tho carpot ovor tho ||no. l
wa|tod unt|| luko wont to bod and startod w|th tho sh|p, pu|||ng that a b|t. 1hon tho curta|n. And l
hoard h|m go|ng: 'What! Who's thoro! Who |s that?'
|o was abso|uto|y potr|t|od and camo t|y|ng out ot tho room. And thoro l was, ho|d|ng tho ||no.
'Oh!'
1ho woman who ownod tho cast|o had sa|d to 3|||: 'You m|ght too| somoth|ng strango
somot|mos, bocauso thoro |s a b|t ot a tunny too||ng |n that room.'
3||| wont: 'Ah, oh, why?'
3ho sa|d: 'Wo||, many yoars ago . . .'
And sho to|d h|m a story about th|s ma|d who usod to ||vo thoro and had a baby by tho ownor.
3ho got tho baby and jumpod out ot tho w|ndow and k|||od horso|t. lt happonod |n 3|||'s room and
apparont|y somot|mos you cou|d soo th|s woman run through tho room and jump. 3||| got so
scarod ho had th|s b|g daggor stuck |n tho s|do by h|s bod.
l sa|d: 'What aro you go|ng to do w|th that th|ng?'
'lt that ghost . . .'
'3|||, |t's a ghost. |ow aro you go|ng to stab a ghost, tor Chr|st's sako!'
Goozor actua||y ||kod |t at t|rst. |o stayod |n th|s room that was supposod to bo hauntod and
was try|ng to soo |t ho cou|d got a v|bo. 3ut at tho ond ot tho day nobody know |t |t was
somoth|ng |n thoro or |t |t was somobody p|ay|ng a joko and nono ot us darod stay thoro any
moro. l thought, tuck|ng ho||: wo got th|s p|aco |n tho m|dd|o ot nowhoro so wo cou|d go and start
wr|t|ng, and ovorybody has torr|t|od thomso|vos that much that thoy'ro dr|v|ng homo at n|ght!
3ut tho v|bo thoro d|d ||tt my wr|tor's b|ock. As soon as wo startod work|ng tho t|rst song l
camo up was '3abbath 3|oody 3abbath'. ||rst day wo woro thoro, bang! l wont: '3|oody ho||!'
85
5abbath BIoody 5abbath
Wo rocordod 5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb |n W|||osdon, north london, and producod |t ourso|vos.
1ho 'd|roct|on latr|ck Voohan' crod|t was on tho a|bum s|oovo aga|n. Wo to|t thoro was |oss
'd|roct|ng' than ovor, as Voohan was oxpand|ng h|s bus|noss moro and moro and wo woro
probab|y not gott|ng tho attont|on wo shou|d havo had. 1hat bogan gradua||y and tho t|rst cracks
|n our ro|at|onsh|p startod to show. l roa||y workod hard on that a|bum. l tr|od a |ot ot d|ttoront
stutt. lt was a mattor ot constant|y bo|ng |n tho stud|o croat|ng sounds. 3ack thon you had to
mako thom yourso|vos and |t took a wh||o. low, w|th tho computor, |t's bang, okay, noxt.
1ho r|tt ot '3abbath 3|oody 3abbath' was tho bonchmark tor that a|bum. lt was a hoavy r|tt,
thon tho song wont |nto a ||ght b|t |n tho m|dd|o, and thon back to tho r|tt aga|n: tho ||ght and
shado l'm a|ways |ook|ng tor. Ozzy sang vory wo|| on |t, actua||y on a|| ot tho songs on tho a|bum.
vory h|gh!
Goozor wroto |yr|cs tor tho song w|th ||nos ||ko 'tho raco |s run, tho book |s road, tho ond
bog|ns to show, 3abbath 3|oody 3abbath, noth|ng moro to do'. l don't know what |nsp|rod h|m to
wr|to that, but |t cou|d bo about h|m th|nk|ng |t was a|| ovor whon wo got wr|tor's b|ock. 3ut attor
that song tho rost to||owod w|thout any groat prob|oms. 1ho othor guys camo up w|th |doas as
wo||. Ozzy had bought th|s Voog synthos|sor. lt was ||ko tho top ot tho rango, but ho d|dn't roa||y
know how to work |t. l don't know who cou|d undorstand |t o|thor, |t soomod roa||y comp||catod to
mo. 3ut ho got th|s ono sound out ot |t and ho camo up w|th 'Who Aro You?'. lt workod roa||y
wo||. l just put a p|ano b|t |n tho m|dd|o ot that ono. And tho |n|t|a| r|tt tor 'A lat|ona| Acrobat' was
wr|tton by Goozor, and thon l addod b|ts to |t. Goozor can wr|to somo groat stutt. lt's just gott|ng |t
out ot h|m. 1h|s was probab|y tho t|rst ono ho d|d that got on to an a|bum.
l|ck Wakoman p|ayod on '3abbra Cadabra'. |o wou|dn't accopt any monoy tor that, so wo
pa|d h|m |n boor. Wo'd a|ways havo a b|t ot a |augh w|th h|m. On tho ond ot that song Ozzy's
say|ng stutt ||ko 'st|ck |t up hor arso' and a|| that, just as a joko. lt was novor moant to bo on tho
a|bum as th|s track was supposod to t|n|sh wo|| botoro Ozzy startod rant|ng and rav|ng, but,
bocauso l|ck was p|ay|ng on |t, wo just kopt |t go|ng. 1hon wo thought, wo'|| bo cruc|t|od do|ng
an a|bum w|th a|| that on |t, so wo put phas|ng ovor |t so you can't to|| what ho's say|ng. 3ut a||
that tou| |anguago |s on thoro, just jumb|od up a b|t.
Apart trom tho s|ng|o 'larano|d', wo cou|dn't ga|n any rad|o a|rp|ay. Ono ot tho tow who gavo
us a chanco was A|an |rooman, tho 33C 01 whoso n|cknamo was '||utt '. |o ||kod us and
p|ayod 'laguna 3unr|so' as tho thomo tuno tor h|s programmo, 7bo 5ototooy Rock 5bow. 3o
whon l camo up w|th anothor qu|ot |nstrumonta| l thought, wo||, l'|| ca|| th|s song '||utt ', attor h|m.
On '3p|ra| Arch|toct' wo usod str|ngs aga|n, arrangod by W||| Va|ono. W||| has a n|co, wo|rd
way ot th|nk|ng. lt was aga|n a bunch ot sor|ous poop|o com|ng |n and p|ay|ng thoso str|ngs. l
d|dn't p|ay bagp|pos on th|s song, a|though l tr|od. l just thought tor a m|nuto l cou|d p|ay thom, so
l sont ono ot tho crow out to buy mo somo bagp|pos at th|s 3cott|sh shop. l startod b|ow|ng,
w|thout any rosu|t. 1h|s wont on and on, |t was a roa| wasto ot stud|o t|mo. l wont: '1ako thom
back to tho shop, to|| thom thoy'ro not b|oody work|ng!'
|o took thom back, tho b|oko at tho shop p|ayod thom and sa|d: 'loth|ng wrong w|th thoso.'
l thought, oh no. l thon attachod thom to a vacuum c|oanor, to soo |t wo cou|d b|ow tho bag up
so l cou|d just p|ay |t. 3ut ot courso tho on|y no|so you got was 'Wuuuuuhhh', trom tho vacuum
c|oanor. l tr|od tor agos, but a|| l cou|d got was somoth|ng that soundod ||ko a dy|ng cat:
'W||||hhuhhw|||uh.' 3o |n tho ond l gavo up on that. Ot courso wo cou|d havo got a 3cotsman to
do |t, but wo a|ways tr|od th|ngs ||ko thoso ourso|vos. 1ho t|rst t|mo mo and Goozor wantod
str|ngs, wo thought wo cou|d p|ay thom ourso|vos, mu|t|-track tho |nstrumonts and mako th|s |nto
an orchostra. Wo got a v|o||n and a co||o and |t soundod awtu|: 'Wooohhooo, y|o|o|oh|o|o|o|oh.' l
cou|d hoar what l wantod |n my hoad but |t wasn't com|ng out |n our hands. Wo tr|od unt|| wo
sa|d: 'Oh tuck |t, wo'vo got to got an orchostra |n!'
lt was tho samo w|th tho s|tar. l cou|dn't p|ay that o|thor. l had a|| thoso groat |doas, but thoy
novor mator|a||sod. l'vo st||| got that s|tar somowhoro. Got r|d ot tho bagp|pos, though.
1ho a|bum ondod w|th a ||tt|o b|t ot app|auso. Our ong|noor put that on and wo thought, oh,
that's tunny, and |t ondod up on thoro. 3omot|mos thoso ||tt|o th|ngs d|d, and somot|mos thoy
d|dn't. Actua||y, on ono ot tho oar||or a|bums, whon wo woro work|ng w|th ong|noor 1om A||om,
wo spont an hour and a ha|t march|ng up and down thoso sta|rs, s|ng|ng: '|| ho, h| ho, |t's ott to
work wo go.' Wo woro com|ng a|| tho way down thoso throo t||ghts ot sta|rs and thoro was a
m|crophono at tho bottom, so tho sound wo mado was gott|ng |oudor and |oudor. And 1om kopt
go|ng: 'lo, no, go back, do |t aga|n.'
Wo woro doad at tho ond, but wo kopt do|ng |t: '|| ho, h| ho.'
1ho |doa was to wa|k down and ovontua||y s|am tho door and 'duh-duh-duh-duh' como |nto a
track. lt |ookod ||ko a good |doa unt|| wo tr|od |t and |t soundod awtu|. 3o wo scrappod |t.
1ho a|bum covor had groat pa|nt|ngs by 0row 3truzan, w|th tho good on ono s|do and tho ov||
on tho othor. On tho |ns|do |t had a p|cturo ot tho band |n what shou|d havo |ookod ||ko an anc|ont
room, oxcopt thoro was a throo-po|nt powor p|ug down thoro on tho wa||. 1hat sort ot b|ow |t a b|t,
roa||y.
Evon today, l t|nd that tho mus|c, comparod to tho prov|ous rocords, has moro c|ass about |t,
moro arrangomonts, moro sh|no |t you ||ko, and |t's moro advonturous. lt was a |oap torward. Wo
usod str|ngs and God knows what o|so, wo roa||y oxpandod. 1hat's why, tor mo, 5obbotb
B|oooy 5obbotb was tho p|nnac|o. And thon tho noxt ono wou|d bo loovoo ooo lo||, wh|ch
croatod that samo v|bo tor mo aga|n.
80
1ho CaIitornia Jam
Wo roundod ott 1078 w|th a coup|o ot UK datos |n 0ocombor. Attor tho Chr|stmas broak wo d|d
a tow Europoan g|gs botoro t|y|ng to Amor|ca tor a |ot ot shows |n |obruary. Wo otton got stuck
w|th tho samo bands whon wo wont to tho 3tatos. Wo a|ways soomod to havo Edgar W|ntor,
1ohnny W|ntor, 3rownsv|||o 3tat|on or 3|ack Oak Arkansas opon|ng tor us. lt was ||ko: 'What,
3|ack Oak Arkansas? Oh doar, not aga|n!'
Attor Amor|ca wo wont homo to tako somo t|mo ott. loxt up was tho Ca||torn|a 1am on 0 Apr||
1074 at tho Ontar|o Votor 3poodway |n Ontar|o, noar los Ango|os. Wo woro go|ng to bo
rohoars|ng out thoro pr|or to tho g|g and wo sont 3pock and tho rost ot tho crow ovor thoro t|rst.
3ut thon th|s a|m|ghty row broko out botwoon 0oop lurp|o and Ell about who was go|ng to
c|oso tho show. 1hoy woro try|ng to |nvo|vo us |n |t as wo||. Wo thought, wo bottor hang on, th|s
who|o th|ng |s b|ow|ng up. lurp|o wantod to c|oso |t, and thon Ell as wo||, so latr|ck Voohan at
somo po|nt sa|d: 'Wo'ro not go|ng out, |t's ott.'
Wo agrood: 'Wo don't want to got |nvo|vod |n |t, wo'|| pu|| out.'
1hon 3pock phonod mo at somoth|ng ||ko tour |n tho morn|ng: 'You'vo got to como! Evorybody
wants to soo you! lt's go|ng to bo an a|m|ghty ruckus |t you don't show!'
l phonod tho othor guys, go|ng: 'Wo got to got out thoro, got on a t||ght!'
1hoy thought l was jok|ng: 'Oh, hahaha!'
'3or|ous|y. Wo'vo got to got out thoro. l'vo hoard trom 3pock . . .'
Wo got on a t||ght at tho |ast m|nuto. Wo got out thoro and wo just sa|d: 'look, wo don't caro.
Wo'|| just go on, whonovor.'
And that's what wo d|d. Wo wont on and Ell c|osod tho show. lt was strango: ono momont
you'ro homo |n bod and tho noxt you'ro t|y|ng to a g|g. Wo hadn't p|ayod tor t|vo or s|x wooks, wo
d|dn't rohoarso, |t was a ono-ott, so |t was a b|t ha|ry.
Wo a|| got stago tr|ght on corta|n occas|ons. lt doponds. 1ho t|rst g|g ot a tour usua||y makos
you go: 'Ooooh!' 1ho socond g|g |s much moro ro|axod. And that's tho ono whoro ovoryth|ng
goos wrong. You a|so havo tho g|gs whoro ovorybody you know comos to soo you, ||ko tho
|ammorsm|th Odoon |n london, tho |orum |n los Ango|os and Vad|son 3quaro Gardon |n
low York. A|| your tr|onds and tho pross aro thoro and you got worr|od: 'Oh tuck, ovorybody's
com|ng down ton|ght. lt anyth|ng goos wrong . . . l'|| bo g|ad whon th|s ono's ovor!'
lt's ||ko whon you'ro rocord|ng a show. l|no t|mos out ot ton whon you th|nk about bo|ng
rocordod you mako a m|stako. lt's that odgy too||ng you havo. At rogu|ar shows you don't caro,
you just got on and do |t, and |t bocomos socond naturo. 3ut tho Ca||torn|a 1am, what w|th tho
wo|rd |oad up to |t and hundrods ot thousands ot poop|o thoro, was norvo-wrack|ng. And |t was
to|ov|sod, wh|ch mado |t ovon moro torr|ty|ng. 3ut stagotr|ght novor |asts. Wo got on stago,
p|ayod, and |t was okay.
3ut tho g|g was good. lt was just tho shock ot |t a||. 3ut l th|nk |t workod.
Attor tho Ca||torn|a 1am wo tourod tho UK |n Vay and 1uno, tak|ng a broak trom tho road unt||
lovombor, whon wo roundod ott our 3abbath 3|oody 3abbath tour w|th about o|ght shows |n
Austra||a. AC/0C woro support|ng us. l d|dn't roa||y moot thom thon, but wo corta|n|y got
acqua|ntod a coup|o ot yoars |ator whon thoy oponod tor us dur|ng our Europoan tour |n tho
spr|ng ot 1077. Wo got on a|| r|ght w|th 3on 3cott, but thoro just soomod to bo a ||tt|o b|t ot
tr|ct|on botwoon tho two bands as that tour wont on. 1horo was somoth|ng go|ng down qu|to
hoavy botwoon Goozor and Va|co|m Young. 1hoy woro |n tho bar, got para|yt|c, got |nto an
argumont and somobody pu||od a kn|to. l th|nk |t was Va|co|m who drow that kn|to. l don't th|nk |t
was Goozor, but |t cou|d havo boon.
Wo woro |n 3ydnoy to start tho tour and tho promotor took us to th|s roa||y t|ash rostaurant.
1hoy c|osod |t ospoc|a||y tor us, so wo woro tho on|y onos thoro. Wo woro oat|ng th|s oxqu|s|to
tood us|ng a|| th|s n|co s||vorwaro and ovoryth|ng, and thon somobody t||ckod a poa at
somobody o|so.
|o thon t||ckod ono back.
1hon |t was somoth|ng o|so, a potato . . .
At tho ond |t was just r|d|cu|ous. 1ho d|nnor was t|y|ng ovorywhoro. Evorybody was ordor|ng:
'Can l havo anothor sa|ad, p|oaso, w|th |oads ot o|| and v|nogar?'
Kggg, on somobody's hoad.
3|||, ot courso, h|m bo|ng tho ono who a|ways gots |t, was abso|uto|y covorod: cako, o||vo o||,
sauco and choco|ato a|| ovor h|s taco and a|| down h|s c|othos. |o was an abso|uto moss. Wo a||
|ookod protty bad. Ozzy had yo||ow trousors on, wo got ho|d ot thom and, kggg, r|ppod tho |ogs
a|| tho way up past tho h|p. 1ho ownor ot tho rostaurant was abso|uto|y |n b|ts. Ono ot our guys
wont ovor to h|m and sa|d: '1hoy'ro go|ng to tako caro ot |t.'
|o gavo h|m a bund|o ot monoy. 1ho ownor was suddon|y a|| r|ght thon, go|ng: 'Ah, carry on,
carry on!'
Wo thon got tho wa|tors |nvo|vod ovon moro: 'Go on, g|vo mo a b|g croam cako undor tho
tab|o!'
And thon: 'Whoa!' Kggg!
Wo wa|kod back to tho hoto| attorwards. Wo |ookod awtu|. 3uch a p|cturo. W|th a|| tho dr|nk
and ovoryth|ng as wo||, l actua||y thought thoy wou|dn't |ot us back |nto tho hoto|. Wo wa|kod |nto
rocopt|on and tho doors oponod and thoro was a ba|| go|ng on. Wo wa|kod |n on a who|o crowd
ot poop|o |n su|ts and bow t|os and ba||room drossos and tho|r mouths droppod. Ot courso
socur|ty camo rush|ng |n and wo woro go|ng: 'lt's a|| r|ght, wo'ro guosts!'
l bot that promotor hasn't |nv|tod many poop|o out s|nco. |o corta|n|y d|dn't |nv|to us aga|n.
87
Whoro did aII tho monoy go?
Wo sa|d to oach othor: '0oos anybody know what's go|ng on? |as anybody soon any
accounts?'
lono ot us know how much monoy wo had, bocauso |t was a|ways a caso ot anyth|ng you
wantod, you got. Wo'd phono Voohan up and any monoy wo wantod: 'l'|| arrango |t.'
3omot|mos Voohan sont a choquo and tho b|oko at tho bank wou|d go: 'lt's bouncod.'
'Ayo?'
And l'd phono h|m up.
'Oh, l'|| put |t |n aga|n. Go and put |t |n aga|n now, |t's a|| r|ght.'
|o was vory carotu|. |o a|ways had a wad ot cash |n h|s pockot, novor usod a crod|t card, l
th|nk bocauso that way ho wou|dn't havo any k|nd ot rocord ot what was bo|ng spont. 1hat's tho
way ho workod. Wo thought, why can't wo just havo a |ump sum put |nto our bank so wo know
how much wo havo and work w|th that? Wo mot thoso poop|o |n tho ott|co ono day and Voohan
sa|d: '1hoso aro your accountants. 1hoy aro go|ng to |ook attor a|| your stutt. You ta|k to thom.
0on't ta|k to mo, ta|k to thom.'
And thon a|| our monoy wont to tho accountants. Wo novor had |t com|ng to us d|roct. Wo'd
havo thoso moot|ngs w|th thom and thoy'd say: 'You can't just got ovoryth|ng you mako and put |t
|n tho bank. Wo want to tako somo ot your monoy and put |t |n a 1orsoy account, bocauso ot tho
tax.'
Wo just sa|d: 'Oh, wo|| . . .' Wo d|dn't know anyth|ng about that s|do ot |t and |t a|| soomod
abovo board. Whon somobody trom a b|g accountancy t|rm to||s you what thoy'ro go|ng to do
w|th your monoy, you go a|ong w|th |t. Wo tound out |ator that thoy a|so workod tor Voohan.
And thon, whon wo tound out that our managomont contracts w|th Voohan woron't s|gnod by
h|m, thoy woro on|y s|gnod by us, that was ovon worso. |o roa||y caught us w|th that ono, a tr|ck
trom tho oar|y days.
Wo woro so gu|||b|o about ovoryth|ng. A|| wo wantod was to p|ay and tour ovorywhoro and go
to Amor|ca and a|| that. 1hat's why |n tho bog|nn|ng wo novor quost|onod Voohan's way ot do|ng
th|ngs. And, ot courso, most ot tho t|mo wo woro on tour, so wo d|dn't roqu|ro much. lt's on|y
whon wo camo out tor anothor broak that wo wont: 'l want to buy a now houso' or whatovor |t
m|ght bo. Or ho'd go: 'l'|| sond anothor ton grand down' and ovoryth|ng wou|d bo rosos.
Wo startod soo|ng th|ngs chango a |ot at tho ott|co. Whon wo got |nvo|vod w|th latr|ck
Voohan at t|rst, |t was just h|m. 1hon ho got moro monoy and bought compan|os ||ko lEV3, tho
o|d 3oat|os th|ng, 3r|an Epsto|n's |abo|. |o a|so got on board w|th 0av|d |omm|ngs, tho actor
tamous tor tho mov|o B|ow-Up, w|th a company ca||od |omda|o. 3o thon Voohan was a|so
mak|ng mov|os. Ono day ho sa|d to mo: 'l'm aud|t|on|ng today. l'vo got a|| thoso womon com|ng
around.'
l camo downsta|rs and saw th|s who|o quouo ot gorgoous womon outs|do tho ott|co.
And ho got |nto a bu||d|ng company, hous|ng and a|| that stutt. Ot courso, whon wo bought
housos, wo bought thom through th|s company. Voohan was |nvo|vod w|th so much stutt l cou|d
novor to|| what |t a|| was. |o ovon bought a racohorso ca||od 3|ack 3abbath and a rac|ng car as
wo||. Wo woro soo|ng h|m t|y|ng around |n pr|vato jots and ho'd a|ways havo tho |atost lo||s-
loyco. And so wou|d wo |t wo wantod thom, so wo d|dn't arguo.
Wo woro to|d that 'A|| tho monoy was put |n tho london 8 County 3ank', wh|ch wont bust at tho
ond ot tho day.
And apparont|y our monoy d|sappoarod w|th |t.
Wo roa||y startod to th|nk whon wo saw what wo thought was a bunch ot protty unsavoury
charactors gott|ng |nvo|vod w|th Voohan at lEV3. 1hoso poop|o woro n|co onough w|th us, but
|t mado us vory norvous. l th|nk 0av|d |rost, tho vory wo||-known 1v porsona||ty, was a c||ont and
0avo |omm|ngs a|so.
Evontua||y, whon wo wont on tour |n Europo, ono ot thom camo w|th us. W|||y h|s namo was.
Vaybo ho was thoro to mako suro noth|ng happonod to us, or maybo ho was soo|ng what wo
woro up to, spy|ng tor tho mob or whoovor thoy woro. lt was a b|t tr|ghton|ng, corta|n|y whon ono
tan tr|od to approach us and W|||y pu||od h|s gun out. lt was roa||y hoavy.
Wo hadn't a c|uo about what was go|ng on.
1ho tact that Voohan was gamb||ng ||ko thoro was no tomorrow d|dn't ho|p o|thor. Whon wo
had Yos w|th us on our Amor|can tour, wo p|ayod las vogas. lt was a vory |nvo|vod s|tuat|on. Wo
thought, tuck|ng ho||, what's go|ng to happon? |ow aro wo go|ng to t|ght th|s ono?
Wo woro unhappy w|th tho s|tuat|on, so wo had to do somoth|ng about |t. Wo t|na||y doc|dod to
|oavo Voohan. 3omowhat surpr|s|ng|y, ho soomod a|| r|ght about |t at t|rst. l th|nk ho'd got what
ho cou|d out ot us and was happy to |ot us go. 3o many th|ngs wont on that wo woro just not
awaro ot and l th|nk that's why wo to|t wo woro scrowod ovor. Wo suod Voohan but whon |t
camo to |t, tor whatovor roason wh|ch l novor roa||y undorstood, wo d|dn't havo a |og to suo on.
|o suod us |n turn and ho won. lt sooms to mo that trom tho momont wo bocamo succosstu|
wo'vo boon |n court. 1|m 3|mpson suod us attor wo |ott h|m and that caso draggod on tor ovor.
1ho 3|mpson caso on|y got sott|od around tho t|mo wo sp||t up w|th Voohan and 3|mpson was
awardod somoth|ng ||ko 8b,000 that wo had to pay h|m. |o a|so suod Voohan, who had to
g|vo h|m a s|m||ar amount.
3o much tor tho o|d managomont, but what about a now ono? lt was hard to trust anybody. Wo
d|d havo managomonts approach|ng us, but how do you know thoy aro stra|ght? ln thoso days
thoro woro no mus|c |awyors you cou|d turn to tor adv|co, poop|o who know about tho bus|noss
and who cou|d |ook at tho contracts. A |ot ot tho th|ngs that woro s|gnod back thon had |oopho|os
ga|oro. Wo doc|dod that tho on|y way to do |t was to run |t ourso|vos and havo Vark |orstor, who
a|roady workod tor us, do tho day-to-day stutt. Wo just got anothor accountant and a|| that
rubb|sh and startod aga|n. Wo had band moot|ngs, but |t soon got to bo too much tor us. Wo
sa|d to oach othor: 'look, wo'ro not bus|noss poop|o, how aro wo go|ng to do th|s? Wo don't
know how th|s a|| runs and works. Wo'ro mus|c|ans and what aro wo try|ng to do?'
Wo mot w|th |awyors and accountants. 1hat got bor|ng bocauso wo woron't |nto that stutt at a||.
W|th|n t|vo m|nutos Ozzy wou|d bo as|oop or ho'd stand up and wa|k around and thon go out and
como back |n and go: 'Wo'ro go|ng to got somoth|ng to oat or what?'
'Wo||, wo'|| ond th|s moot|ng thon?'
'Oh, uh . . .'
'3|t down.'
'A|| r|ght.'
|o'd s|t down tor a b|t and you'd soo h|m t|dgot|ng and thon ho'd ask a tow quost|ons: 'ls that
|t thon? Wo'ro t|n|shod?'
Vr lmpat|ont. lt was vory hard. 3ut wo had no opt|on. lt was tho on|y th|ng wo cou|d do.
88
Evorything'a boing 5abotagodI
At tho bog|nn|ng ot 107b wo got togothor to wr|to and rohoarso tor what was to bocomo
5obotogo. 1ho mak|ng ot that a|bum took a |ong t|mo bocauso wo woro |n tho stud|o ono day
and |n court or moot|ng w|th |awyors tho noxt. A wr|t |s a summons to appoar |n court and wo
woro bo|ng handod wr|ts ovon wh||o wo woro work|ng |n tho stud|o. lt was so d|stract|ng. lt to|t
||ko wo woro bo|ng sabotagod a|| tho way a|ong tho ||no and gott|ng punchod trom a|| s|dos. Wo
woro constant|y |n somo prob|om or anothor w|th managomont or somobody. lt mado tho band
|nto a t|ghtor un|t, bocauso |t was us aga|nst thom. Wo woro try|ng to do mus|c and |t was hard to
croato |t |n that s|tuat|on, un|oss wo wroto a song about |t, wh|ch sort ot ro||ovod that s|tuat|on.
1hat's why ono track |s ca||od '1ho Wr|t' and tho a|bum |s ca||od 5obotogo.
Apart trom |oga| harassmont, wo woro a|so hav|ng tochn|ca| prob|oms |n tho stud|o. Wo had a
hard t|mo rocord|ng '1hr||| Ot lt A||' and ovontua||y wo got |t down attor no ond ot takos. 3oon
attor wo wont to a bar across tho road to p|ay darts and 0avo |arr|s, tho tapo guy, camo ovor
and sa|d: 'Wo'vo got a prob|om.'
l sa|d: 'What?'
|o sa|d: 'Ono ot tho tochn|c|ans has a||gnod tho tapos up on tho mastor tapo.'
'You'ro k|dd|ng!'
'l'm not, honost|y!'
1ho|r job was to put th|s sor|os ot rotoronco tonos, bas|ca||y a bunch ot boops go|ng trom
h|ghor to |owor p|tch, on to a mastor tapo so |t's a|| a||gnod and roady tor you to uso. You had to
|n thoso days: a||gn tho hoads and ovoryth|ng, mako suro |t was a|| r|ght. |o wou|d sot |t a|| up on
tho tapo mach|no and go: '1hat's t|no, you can uso |t.'
3ut ho had m|stakon|y put tho tonos on to tho mastor tapo ot '1hr||| Ot lt A||'. Wo ||stonod to tho
rocord|ng ot tho song and suddon|y |t was: '0oo-doo-doo-doo.'
|o'd w|pod onough ott so wo had to rocord tho who|o th|ng aga|n. lt was such an ordoa|. Wo
d|dn't k||| 0avo but d|d actua||y g|vo h|m a nod tor h|s scrow-up on tho a|bum s|oovo: '1apo
oporator and sabotour - 0av|d |arr|s'.
Wo producod 5obotogo ourso|vos. 1ho band d|sappoarod most ot tho t|mo so |t was sort ot
|ott to mo and tho ong|noor. l got moro and moro |nvo|vod w|th tho product|on s|do ot th|ngs, but
|t wasn't ||ko l wou|d s|t thoro and to|| tho othor guys what to do, bocauso thoy know what to p|ay,
thoy put tho|r parts to |t. l just spont a |ot moro t|mo |n tho stud|o bocauso, whon |t camo to do|ng
tho gu|tar b|ts or m|x|ng, |t wou|d tako |ongor and l'd bo moro |nto |t than thoy woro. l d|dn't m|nd
so much. l'd bo thoro to tho doath.
5obotogo has a coup|o ot unusua| tracks, ||ko '3ymptom Ot 1ho Un|vorso'. 1hat has boon
doscr|bod as tho t|rst progross|vo mota| song and l won't d|sagroo w|th that. lt starts w|th an
acoust|c b|t, thon |t goos |nto tho up-tompo stutt to g|vo |t that dynam|c, and |t doos havo a |ot ot
changos to |t, |nc|ud|ng tho jam at tho ond. 1hat |ast b|t was mado up |n tho stud|o. Wo d|d tho
track and attor that t|n|shod wo just startod jamm|ng. l startod p|ay|ng th|s r|tt, tho othors jo|nod |n,
wo kopt |t go|ng and wo ondod up koop|ng |t. 1hon l ovordubbod |t w|th acoust|c gu|tar. A tow
th|ngs wo'vo rocordod camo trom jams ||ko that. Wo'd just koop go|ng on tho th|ng and so tho
ond ot tho song somot|mos bocamo |ongor than tho song |tso|t. A |ot ot our songs tondod to bo
|ong anyway. l|ko 'Voga|oman|a': wo carr|od on and on w|th that unt|| wo just tadod |t out. 3omo
ot thoso tracks woro probab|y tw|co as |ong as you hoar on tho a|bum, but wo had to tado thom
out.
l wroto '3uportzar' at homo w|th a Vo||otron, to croato cho|r sounds. l put hoavy gu|tar to that
and |t roa||y b|ondod wo||. l thought, l'd |ovo to try th|s |n tho stud|o, |t wou|d bo groat |t wo cou|d
uso a roa| cho|r. 3o l bookod tho london lh||harmon|c Cho|r. 1hoy camo down and woro a|| sot
to go at ||ko n|no o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng. Ozzy d|dn't know anyth|ng about th|s. |o wa|kod |n, saw
a|| thoso poop|o and ho wa|kod out aga|n.
'|uck|ng ho||, |t's tho wrong stud|o!'
|o camo back and wont: 'What's go|ng on, who aro a|| thoso poop|o |n horo?'
'Wo'ro just try|ng th|s song.'
'Uh . . . Oh.'
1h|s woman camo a|ong w|th a harp, bocauso l had a harp at homo and l cou|d on|y p|ay 'd|ng,
dong'. 3ho sa|d: 'What do you want to hoar?'
'Wo||, sort ot ||ko d|ng, dong'. 1hat's what l am p|ay|ng.'
3ho sa|d: 'Ah, somoth|ng ||ko th|s . . .'
And hor t|ngors t|ow ovor tho str|ngs.
'Yoah! 1hat's |t!'
l to|t ||ko such an |d|ot. What was l do|ng, ask|ng hor to p|ay 'd|ng dong'? 3ut to my know|odgo
|t had novor boon dono botoro: a hoavy gu|tar r|tt w|th a cho|r and th|s harp. lt was a cha||ongo. l
thought, thoro's a t|tty-p|oco cho|r horo and th|s harp p|ayor, th|s bottor work out. 3ut wo d|d |t
and |t soundod roa||y d|ttoront and roa||y groat.
1ho 5obotogo s|oovo |s probab|y our most ombarrass|ng ono. lt had us pos|ng |n tront ot a
m|rror that rot|octod tho wrong way round. Wo turnod up at th|s photo soss|on tor |t and 3||| sa|d:
'l don't know what to woar.'
|o turnod to h|s w|to: 'Can l borrow thoso t|ghts?'
|o put hor t|ghts on, but ho had th|s chockod undorwoar undornoath that was sh|n|ng through.
1yp|ca| 3|||. Ozzy d|dn't do much bottor, dross|ng up |n somo sort ot 1apanoso mourn|ng gown.
l'vo ovon hoard |t bo|ng doscr|bod as 'tho homo |n tho k|mono'. 3uch a natt th|ng, wo'ro a|| so
d|ttoront thoro. |uck|ng ho||, wo'vo had troub|o ||v|ng that down ovor tho yoars!
On 5obotogo tho sound was a b|t hardor than 5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb, and my gu|tar sound
was hardor as wo||. 1hat was brought on by a|| tho aggravat|on wo to|t ovor a|| tho bus|noss w|th
managomonts, |awyors and wr|ts. 5obotogo d|d a|| r|ght, but |t d|dn't so|| as wo|| as tho prov|ous
a|bums. lt's tho way |t goos w|th ovorybody: you can't go up and up and up, th|ngs go up and
down. Othor poop|o como |n and othor mus|c takos ovor. 1ho tasto ot poop|o movos, |t changos.
And yot wo st||| p|od on, do|ng what wo'ro do|ng. Evon so, wo'vo boon protty |ucky w|th our tans
bocauso thoy'vo boon vory |oya|. Wo d|d go through a por|od, corta|n|y |n tho Potooolo days, ot
attract|ng a |ot ot scroam|ng toonagors, wh|ch wasn't our sort ot aud|onco at a||. 3ut thoy go tor
anyth|ng |n tho 1op 10. Wo d|dn't want to bo |nvo|vod |n that bocauso |t wasn't us. Wo woron't
about tho protty boy |mago, |t was puro|y tho mus|c tor us. 1hat's ono ot tho roasons a|| our
a|bums koop so|||ng roa||y wo|| attor a|| thoso yoars. l can't bo||ovo tho way |t goos, |t's just
phonomona|. lt must bo that now k|ds aro com|ng around to buy|ng |t.
80
Bruiaor in a boozor
Vy o|d tr|ond A|bort Chapman was tho managor, doorman and whatnot ot a c|ub |n 3|rm|ngham.
l sa|d: '0o you tancy com|ng and do|ng a b|t ot work w|th us |n Austra||a?'
|o wont: 'Oh, l'd |ovo that!'
1h|s was |n lovombor 1074. Attor travo|||ng w|th us to tho othor s|do ot tho wor|d ho stayod
on, do|ng tho 107b 3abotago tour, wh|ch took us to Amor|ca tor tho summor. On a coup|o ot
datos wo had K|ss support|ng us. 1ho|r show was roa||y |ntorost|ng to watch. l cou|dn't bo||ovo
what was go|ng on, a|| thoso costumos, tho mako-up, t|ro broath|ng, t|roworks shoot|ng out ot tho
ond ot gu|tars and God knows what o|so. l had novor soon anyth|ng ||ko |t.
At t|rst wo d|dn't got on w|th K|ss. Wo ovon changod tho t|rst |ottor |n tho s|gn w|th tho|r |ogo
trom a K to a l. Wo d|dn't ovon know who tho guys |n K|ss woro thon, bocauso wo'd novor soon
thom w|thout tho|r mako-up. 1hoy'd bo at tho a|rport tho samo t|mo as us, wa|t|ng tor a t||ght, a
group ot guys, |ong ha|r, spots a|| ovor thom probab|y bocauso ot a|| tho mako-up, and wo'd go:
'Yoah, l bot that's thom!'
As t|mo wont on, wo camo to know thom and got on w|th thom qu|to wo||. Yoars ago l d|d an
Amor|can 1v show ca||od Rock 5cboo| w|th Gono 3|mmons. 1hoy rocordod |t ovor horo |n
Eng|and and tho |doa ot |t was to toach k|ds how to p|ay. Gono's dono a sor|os ot thom. |o's a||
r|ght. Evory t|mo l soo h|m now l just tako h|m w|th a p|nch ot sa|t. |o's to|||ng mo how much
monoy ho's oarnod and how to oarn th|s and how to do that. 3ut that's tho way ho |s. lt's just h|m.
Attor th|s vory oxtons|vo Amor|can tour wo d|d ton datos throughout tho UK, somo ot thom w|th
3andy logs trom 3|rm|ngham opon|ng tor us. l had mot tho|r gu|tar p|ayor, Goott l|cho||s,
through A|bort Chapman, who managod thom. 1hoy |ator changod tho|r namo to Ouartz. A|bort
s|gnod thom to 0on Ardon's |abo|, 1ot locords, and ho askod mo |t l wou|d bo |ntorostod |n
produc|ng thom. l ||kod somo ot tho|r songs and l ondod up do|ng |t. Whon you'ro |nvo|vod |n your
own stutt, you havo a rout|no w|th what you'ro do|ng. Whon |t comos to somobody o|so, you'vo
got to put a d|ttoront hat on. A|| |n a|| |t was a good oxpor|onco tor mo.
Goott l|cho||s was tho|r ma|n songwr|tor. |o rom|ndod mo ot myso|t, how ho ||kod to got
th|ngs dono and work hard at |t. |o was croat|vo, ho |ovod p|ay|ng gu|tar and koyboards and ho
sang as wo||. Attor Ouartz to|| apart, Goott wou|d work w|th 3|ack 3abbath tor qu|to a |ong t|mo,
p|ay|ng koyboards and so on.
As a mattor ot tact, tho 3abotago tour was tho t|rst t|mo wo took a koyboard p|ayor w|th us.
Wo had a|ways boon a tour-p|oco and tho othor guys wantod to koop |t that way, wh|ch was
undorstandab|o. Ozzy s|mp|y sa|d: 'Wo don't nood koyboards.'
l just thought that hav|ng somobody thoro to back up tho so|os wou|d br|ng moro t|avour to tho
songs. A|so wo woro us|ng moro and moro koyboards and orchostras on our rocords, and w|th
a koyboard p|ayor wo cou|d roproduco somo ot |t on stago. 3o wo h|rod Gora|d '1ozz'
Woodrotto. |o was trom 3|rm|ngham, whoro h|s tam||y ownod a wo||-known shop ca||od
Woodrotto's Vus|c 3hop. And, God, d|d ho got somo st|ck! Our crow p|ayod h|m up somoth|ng
torr|b|o. You novor know whoro ho was go|ng to ond up, somot|mos ho was on tho s|do ot tho
stago, somot|mos ho d|sappoarod trom v|ow comp|oto|y. |o had a b|g noso so ho sort ot
|ookod ||ko a parrot. Wo had a|| thoso smoko mach|nos and tho crow put ono ot tho tubos ot a
smoko mach|no tac|ng h|m. 1hoy covorod |t up so ho cou|dn't soo |t and thon, whon wo woro
p|ay|ng, wo saw th|s toy parrot t|y|ng across on a w|ro, w|th |ts w|ngs t|app|ng. lt stoppod r|ght |n
tront ot Gora|d, st||| t|app|ng. Wo woro |n st|tchos. 1hon wo got to '3|ack 3abbath', 'da-daa-da',
and a|| th|s smoko b|ow |n h|s taco. 1ho poor buggor took |t on tho ch|n, but ho wasn't happy
about |t. |o's a groat mus|c|an, but ho kopt gott|ng a|| thoso w|nd-ups. |unn||y onough, to th|s
day |t's happonod w|th ovory b|oody koyboard p|ayor wo'vo had.
Attor tho UK |t was ott to Europo. Wo h|t 0sso|dort on 2 lovombor, A|bort's b|rthday and my
wodd|ng ann|vorsary, so wo doc|dod to co|obrato. Wo wont down to tho Why lot C|ub. Goozor
and Ozzy jo|nod us and so d|d 0avo 1angyo and luko trom our crow. logor Chapman, who
usod to s|ng w|th |am||y and supportod us w|th h|s band, Chapman Wh|tnoy 3trootwa|kors, and
l|cko Vc3ra|n, now ot lron Va|don tamo, who was h|s drummor at tho t|mo, woro |n a d|ttoront
part ot tho c|ub.
Our |ot woro s|tt|ng thoro dr|nk|ng, hav|ng a good t|mo and m|nd|ng our own bus|noss. 1hon
somo bouncors trom tho c|ub startod c|rc||ng our tab|o.
'|unny, |sn't |t?'
'Wondor what's go|ng on . . .'
lt turnod out thoy'd como to watch what wo woro do|ng, bocauso thoro was somo troub|o
causod by somo ot tho 3trootwa|kors and tho|r |ot, and to thom wo probab|y a|| |ookod tho samo:
'Oh, thoy'ro a|| |n that group.'
Ozzy wont to tho to||ot and 0avo 1angyo wont w|th h|m. 3omobody sa|d somoth|ng, or
grabbod h|m, and 1angyo d|vod |n to stop |t and |t turnod |nto an a|m|ghty t|ght. Vo and A|bort
rushod out to soo what was go|ng on. Wo ran downsta|rs and tho b|oko at tho bottom ot tho
sta|rs shot A|bort |n tho mouth. 1ho guy put a gun by h|s taco and bang! A|bort had a |ot ot tooth
m|ss|ng trom box|ng anyway, so thoro wasn't too much damago to bo dono. |o was a|| r|ght.
1ho bu||ot had gono c|oan through h|s chook. l'|| novor torgot tho b|oko who d|d that. |o was
woar|ng a su|t and b|ack g|ovos. A|bort thon h|t h|m so hard, tho guy got covorod |n b|ood. lt was
a bad t|ght.
l ondod up h|tt|ng th|s ono b|oko and botwoon punchos l not|cod ho was tho chot trom tho
rostaurant. l don't know how ho got |nvo|vod but |t was a troo-tor-a||. l|ko |n ono ot thoso o|d
wostorns, somoono wou|d turn around and bang! 1horo woro tuck|ng poop|o go|ng ovor tho
ban|stors and ta|||ng ott tho ba|cony, |t was unbo||ovab|o. lt just wont trom noth|ng to th|s.
1ho t|ght movod outs|do, |nto tho stroot. Wo ca||od th|s ono b|oko that A|bort was t|ght|ng
3umb|o, bocauso ho had a str|pod sh|rt on. |o was ono ot tho socur|ty poop|o ovor thoro. |o
just wou|dn't go down. |o'd go down and thon got up aga|n, down, up aga|n, down, up, and
A|bort boat tho sh|t out ot h|m. 1hon th|s othor b|oko stoppod |n and A|bort boat tho sh|t out ot
h|m as wo||. 1ust horrondous |t was.
Voanwh||o, th|s b|oko who had shot A|bort wont to h|t Ozzy on tho hoad w|th a mota| bar. l put
my hand |n tho way and |t h|t my t|ngors.
'Aargh!'
|uck|ng ho||, that hurt. And thon l startod h|tt|ng h|m. lt was mad. l thought, wo'vo got to got out
ot th|s. 1hoso cars pu||od up and l scroamod: 'Ou|ck got |n tho car!'
l grabbod A|bort, jumpod |n tho back and shoutod: '|||ton hoto|!'
1ho two guys |n tront turnod around and l was |ook|ng down tho barro| ot a gun. lt was tho
po||co.
Ah, tuck|ng ho||.
1hoy put mo and A|bort |n ja||. Wo got out |n t|mo tor tho g|g tho noxt n|ght and tho aud|onco
must havo wondorod about tho stato ot us. 3|ack oyos and ovoryth|ng. lt was a torr|b|o t|ght, and
wo got tho b|amo!
3o that was my wodd|ng ann|vorsary and A|bort's b|rthday.
Wo had a tantast|c t|mo!
Attor Europo, Ozzy hurt h|mso|t |n a motorcyc|o acc|dont, so wo had to postpono a coup|o ot
UK g|gs. Whon ho hoa|od wo wont back to Amor|ca. Wo startod ott |n Vad|son 3quaro Gardon,
w|th Aorosm|th support|ng us. A|| sorts ot strango stutt happonod that n|ght. 1ho worst ot |t was
somobody jump|ng ott a ba|cony. Wo woro to|d about |t attor tho show. Apparont|y tho guy broko
h|s nock.
Ovor tho yoars many th|ngs ||ko that happonod. Wo'vo had poop|o c||mb|ng up tho s|do ot tho
sound systom and ta|||ng ott, hurt|ng thomso|vos. ln Amor|ca, |n tho vory oar|y days, wo had g|gs
whoro poop|o got squashod aga|nst tho ra|||ngs |n tront, thoy'd go undornoath and got tramp|od
on. You'd soo thom bo|ng pu||od on stago and thon carr|od ott ovor tho stago, doad. Wo hoard
ot k|ds dr|v|ng homo trom tho g|g and gott|ng k|||od. And thon thoy had a|| th|s 3|ack 3abbath
stutt w|th thom . . .
lt's horr|b|o, but |t has happonod a tow t|mos.
1hat samo Vad|son 3quaro Gardon show, l got h|t on tho hoad by a tu|| can ot boor and a||
th|s b|ood pourod down my taco. l st||| kopt p|ay|ng away, wo t|n|shod tho song, l wont ott stago
and somobody sa|d: 'look, tho guy who works tor Vuhammad A|| |s horo, who doos a|| tho
ropa|rs.'
3o|ng a hugo box|ng tan, l thought, what's good onough tor Vuhammad A|| |s good onough tor
mo: 'Yoah, l'|| havo that!'
|o st|tchod |t and put a|| th|s soa|or stutt on |t and ho d|d |t |n no t|mo at a||. l camo back on
stago and carr|od on. 3ut l had a ho|| ot a hoadacho.
3omo poop|o go a b|t mad, thoy throw a|| sorts ot stutt. 1hoy don't th|nk about hurt|ng you, thoy
just got a b|t stup|d. Attor |t happonod Ozzy shoutod: '|uck|ng |d|ots!' but ho was a||owod to. lt
was h|s b|rthday that day. A cako was whoo|od on to tho stago to co|obrato th|s, and a g|r|
jumpod out ot |t.
As Vad|son 3quaro Gardon shows go, th|s ono corta|n|y took tho cako.
40
No on Ecataay
Whon wo wroto tho songs tor what was to bocomo 7ocbolco| Ecstosy, Gora|d Woodrotto was a
groat ho|p to mo bocauso l now had somobody l cou|d try out |doas w|th. 1ho band d|dn't got up
unt|| somoth|ng ||ko 2 p.m., so l otton wont |nto our rohoarsa| room oar||or to run ovor somo |doas
w|th Gora|d. lt was good to havo somobody a|ong who cou|d p|ay tho chords as l was p|ay|ng tho
so|os.
Aga|n a pub was not tar away, so qu|to otton ovorybody wou|d go down thoro, |nc|ud|ng mo.
Wo st||| managod to wr|to 7ocbolco| Ecstosy |n s|x wooks and got |t a|| rohoarsod and roady to
go. Ott wo wont to tho Cr|tor|a 3tud|os |n V|am|. Wo'd hoard that 1ho 3oo Goos, ||ootwood
Vac and 1ho Eag|os usod |t. ln tact, 1ho Eag|os woro rocord|ng loto| Co|lotolo wh||o wo woro
thoro. 1hoy somot|mos had to stop bocauso ot us, bocauso wo woro too |oud and |t was |oak|ng
through |nto tho|r stud|o: 'Wrrooaarr!'
3ut |t was a groat p|aco. Aga|n, l was |n tho stud|o tu|| t|mo, bo|ng vory much |nvo|vod |n tho
product|on. l was |n thoro n|ght and day, to tho po|nt that Ozzy ovon sa|d: 'lt's a 1ony a|bum.'
Wo stayod |n Wost la|m 3oach and ovorybody o|so was a|ways on tho boach. l know |t
sounds ||ko l'm b|ow|ng my own trumpot, but that's what happonod. 1hoy wantod to |oavo |t to
mo, thoy trustod mo to do |t and so l was |ott to do |t.
Wo a|so had somo b|oody |aughs thoro, ospoc|a||y whon wo p|ayod jokos on 3|||. |o wou|d
novor a||ow tho ma|ds |n to c|oan h|s room. Ono day wo got a b|g |oad ot th|s roa||y horr|b|o,
smo||y Gorgonzo|a chooso, and wh||o somobody kopt h|m ta|k|ng l snoakod |nto h|s room and
p||od |t up undor h|s bod. Vany days |ator l camo |n aga|n and tho smo|| was atroc|ous. l wont:
'lhow, 3|||, what's that smo||?'
'l don't know what |t |s, |t must bo my c|othos.'
3||| |s a d|rty buggor, ho'd p||o h|s t||thy c|othos up |n a cornor.
'Whon aro you go|ng to c|oan thom?'
'l w|||, yoah.'
|o novor sussod out tho chooso undor tho bod. lt smo||od abso|uto|y v||o. |o actua||y startod
smo|||ng ||ko chooso h|mso|t. Whon tho ma|ds ovontua||y wont |nto h|s room, thoy must havo
d|od.
Ono n|ght |n tho stud|o, wo drossod 3||| up as ||t|or. |o'd had a tow dr|nks, so |t was oasy.
Wo got somo gattor tapo, roa||y strong tapo that st|cks to most th|ngs, and wo put |t on h|s hoad,
mak|ng h|s ha|rsty|o ||ko ||t|or's. Wo mado h|m a sk|nny moustacho as wo||. Wo gavo h|m th|s
un|torm and whatnot, and ho was onjoy|ng |t a|| unt|| wo tr|od to tako th|s stutt ott h|m. Wo cou|dn't
got |t ott h|s hoad, bocauso pu|||ng tho tapo ott wou|d moan r|pp|ng h|s ha|r out. 3o wo bas|ca||y
cut a|| h|s ha|r ott. 3y th|s t|mo ho was wo|| s|oshod and ho d|dn't ovon roa||so what wo'd dono
unt|| tho noxt day. |o wasn't vory p|oasod. |o |ookod ovon scrutt|or than ho usua||y d|d.
Andy G|bb was rocord|ng |n tho stud|o noxt to us. |o had a do|| out at tho t|mo, a|| |mmacu|ato
w|th tho b|ond ha|r and tho n|co c|othos. Wo doc|dod to buy ono ot thom and transtorm |t |nto a
3||| Ward do||. Ono ot tho guys who workod tor us was a roa| art|st, and ho mossod up tho ha|r,
put a board on |t and ru|nod tho c|othos. lt roa||y |ookod ||ko 3|||. Wo sot |t up on tho rocord|ng
dosk. Ono day Andy G|bb camo |n to havo a ||ston to what wo'd boon do|ng. |o saw th|s do||
and wont: 'Who's that?'
Wo sa|d: 'lt's 3||| Ward.'
Andy was a|| takon aback, go|ng: '3|||'s got a do|| out as wo||?'
Ono t|mo wo a|| camo out ot a c|ub |n 3|rm|ngham at somo r|d|cu|ous hour. Wo'd had a tow
dr|nks and wo wont down to a noarby |ako. 3||| was comp|oto|y rat-arsod and wo put h|m on th|s
boat and shovod h|m out on th|s |ako.
And |ott h|m.
Anothor t|mo wo carr|od a vory drunk 3||| |nto a park, put h|m on a bonch and covorod h|m w|th
nowspapors so that ho |ookod ||ko an o|d tramp.
And abandonod h|m aga|n.
Onco whon ho got s|oshod wo put h|m to bod and tr|od to tako h|s trousors ott. As wo pu||od at
thom, ono ot tho trousor |ogs just r|ppod ott. 1ho noxt day ho camo down st||| woar|ng tho samo
trousors, ono |og on and ono |og gono. |o just d|dn't caro.
Ono t|mo at tho 3unsot Varqu|s hoto| |n los Ango|os wo mado a b|g bannor say|ng: 'l am gay,
como and v|s|t mo.' Wo c||mbod up on h|s ba|cony on tho th|rd t|oor and hung th|s bannor trom |t.
Ono ot thoso stup|d th|ngs you do. 1ho managor ot tho hoto| saw |t and wantod h|m to tako |t
down, but 3||| d|dn't know anyth|ng about |t and d|dn't know what ho was go|ng on about. 1ho
managor sa|d: '1horo's th|s b|g bannor l want you to tako down.'
And 3||| wont: '3annor? What bannor!'
Ot courso ho wont out on tho ba|cony and saw |t.
'Aargh!'
|o usod to put h|s shoos out to a|r on tho ba|cony. |o wou|d got up so |ato, l'd havo boon up
tor hours a|roady, so l'd c||mb ovor to h|s ba|cony, t||| h|s shoos up w|th so|| and put p|ants |n
thom. And ho'd ta|| tor |t ovory t|mo.
lt's a wondor wo d|dn't dr|vo h|m |oony. lt was a|ways 3||| who got |t. And |t you d|dn't do
anyth|ng to h|m tor a wh||o, ho'd actua||y say: 'ls somoth|ng wrong?'
'lo, why?'
'Wo||, you havon't dono anyth|ng to mo today.'
|o's d|ttoront now. 1ho |ast tours at |oast ho was actua||y up tor broaktast. |o's changod h|s
||tosty|o and ho's a |ot moro hoa|thy now. 3|nco h|s hoart attack ho had to stop smok|ng and,
wo||, ho had to stop ovoryth|ng.
'lt's A|r|ght' was 3||| Ward's song. A|though ho usod to bo tho s|ngor w|th 1ho lost a|| thoso
yoars ago, th|s was tho t|rst song 3||| ovor sang on a 3abbath a|bum. Wo oncouragod h|m to put
|t on bocauso wo thought |t was a good song and Ozzy ||kod |t as wo||.
'0|rty Woman' was a song about prost|tutos, bocauso wo woro |n ||or|da and Goozor had
soon a|| thoso hookors around thoro so ho wroto about that. lt's not ||ko wo woro |nto prost|tutos.
Wo||, wo d|d havo ono or two |n tho oar|y days. Ono n|ght back thon wo woro |n tho Amstordam
rod-||ght d|str|ct and l wont |nto ono ot thoso p|acos. l was s|oshod and l to|| as|oop. 3ound|y
snor|ng away, l wont |nto oxtra t|mo and tho noxt th|ng l know th|s guy was scroam|ng at mo:
'Whoro's tho monoy!'
And thon ho throw mo out. l hadn't dono anyth|ng, oxcopt pass out |n thoro.
1horo woro koyboards on a|| ot tho tracks, wh|ch was a b|t d|ttoront tor us. l ||kod |t, but
7ocbolco| Ecstosy d|dn't so|| as many as tho prov|ous a|bums. 5obotogo hadn't brokon any
sa|os rocords o|thor, but w|th th|s ono tho doc||no roa||y startod. lt was ospoc|a||y d|sappo|nt|ng
tor mo, bocauso l was roa||y |nvo|vod w|th tho a|bum trom start to t|n|sh. 3ut |t was just ono ot
thoso th|ngs. lt was 1070, |t was tho t|mo ot punk, and thoro was a who|o now gonorat|on ot k|ds.
41
Ecataay on tour
|or tho 1ochn|ca| Ecstasy tour wo d|dn't havo a vory b|g product|on, just mus|ca| oqu|pmont, a
snow mach|no and dry |co. loth|ng tancy, no com|ng |n through tho stago or t|y|ng |n trom tho
rattors. 3ut 3||| had th|s br||||ant bra|nwavo ot hav|ng a b|g soa sho|| bu||t boh|nd h|s drums. lt was
mado out ot t|brog|ass and |t was |oud, as |t projoctod tho sound. And ovory n|ght ho had tons ot
trosh t|owors around h|s k|t as wo||. |o startod gott|ng moro |oony, but tho sho|| was bottor than
h|s or|g|na| |doa, whoro ho wantod a|| thoso tubos around h|s k|t w|th wator go|ng through |t,
chang|ng co|our. |o had a|| thoso tancy |doas. 1hoy woro groat unt|| you tr|od to got thom to
work: |mposs|b|o.
Wo startod tour|ng Amor|ca |n Octobor. Wo had acts ||ko 3oston, 1od lugont, 3ob 3oogor
and tho 3||vor 3u||ot 3and support|ng us. 1ho shows woro a|| so|d out. At tho |a||owoon g|g |n
0onvor, |oart oponod tor us. Whon wo woro p|ay|ng two g|r|s stood on tho s|do ot tho stago to
watch us and A|bort throw thom ott bocauso ho thought thoy woro group|os. |o sa|d: 'l tuckod
thom two ott. 1hoy woro on tho s|do ot tho stago, danc|ng around.'
l sa|d: '1hat was tho othor band!'
'What band?'
'|oart!'
'Oh no!'
l|nda 3|a|r trom tho mov|o 7bo Exotclst camo to our g|g |n low |avon, Connoct|cut. Ozzy
was a b|t |ntatuatod w|th hor, probab|y bocauso ho'd soon tho mov|o. Or maybo ho |dont|t|od
w|th hor, bocauso |n tho mov|o sho a|so pood a|| ovor tho p|aco.
As a mattor ot tact, wo a|| woro vory |mprossod by l|nda onco. Wo wont to soo 7bo Exotclst
at a c|noma |n lh||ado|ph|a a coup|o ot yoars botoro and |t scarod tho sh|t out ot us. 3ack at tho
hoto| wo wont |nto tho bar to havo a dr|nk to ca|m ourso|vos down. 1ho to|ov|s|on thoro showod a
programmo w|th th|s pr|ost ta|k|ng about oxorc|sm. 1hat mado |t ovon worso. Wo got so scarod
that nono ot us cou|d s|oop, so wo spont tho n|ght |n tho samo room. 1ust pathot|c.
1ho bar ot our hoto| |n low |avon had a g|ass wa|| boh|nd |t, so you cou|d soo |nto tho
sw|mm|ng poo|. A|bort Chapman and mo had a tow dr|nks and wo got th|s groat |doa: 'Why
don't wo go out thoro and jump |n w|th no c|othos on!'
And so wo d|d. lt was ono ot thoso st|ck your arso aga|nst tho w|ndow doa|s. l don't know what
thoy must'vo thought |n tho bar. Abso|uto madnoss.
Whon wo got out wo noodod a qu|ck gotaway, so wo n|ckod a go|t cart that was parkod thoro.
1wo grown-up nakod mon |n a go|t cart dr|v|ng around tho hoto| grounds! Wo mado |t back to tho
room, dr|od ott, got drossod and wont back |nto tho bar ||ko noth|ng had happonod. Vost ot tho
poop|o d|dn't ovon know |t was us, bocauso a|| thoy'd soon was two arsos up aga|nst tho
w|ndow.
A protty p|cturo.
Wo had mot |rank Zappa at a party |n low York a coup|o ot yoars botoro. |o took us a|| out
to a rostaurant, to|||ng us how much ho ||kod '3nowb||nd'. lt was vory k|nd ot h|m and wo bocamo
tr|onds. On 0 0ocombor wo p|ayod Vad|son 3quaro Gardon, w|th |rank |ntroduc|ng tho band.
|o wantod to p|ay as wo||. Wo'd put h|s stutt on stago but wo had a roa||y bad n|ght. |rank was
wa|t|ng to wa|k on and l thought, ho can't, |t's d|sastrous, ovoryth|ng |s go|ng wrong, my gu|tar |s
go|ng out ot tuno, thoro's no|so and crack|os and God knows what. 3o l sa|d to h|m: 'lt wou|d bo
bost |t you don't p|ay, roa||y.'
Wo got on wo|| w|th h|m. ln tact |ator on w|th lonn|o 1amos 0|o l phonod |rank, bocauso
Goozor had |ott. l sa|d: 'You don't know any bass p|ayors, do you?'
|o wont: 'Yoah, you can uso m|no.'
'lo, wo want a bass p|ayor that m|ght bo w|th us tor a |ong t|mo.'
Vo and lonn|o wont ovor to h|s houso. |rank oponod tho door w|th a parrot on h|s shou|dor.
|o sa|d: '0o you want a dr|nk? A soda, |co toa?'
Wo woro th|nk|ng moro a|ong tho ||nos ot a boor.
'lo boor.'
A|| ho had woro tho moro h|pp|o sort ot dr|nks. Wo wont down to h|s stud|o and ho sa|d: 'Can l
p|ay you my now a|bum?'
'Yos, p|oaso do.'
l ||ko somo ot h|s stutt, ||ko lot Rots, but whon ho p|ayod mo th|s now a|bum |t wasn't my cup
ot toa at a||. 1horo was so much go|ng on and |t was such ott-tho-wa|| stutt that l cou|dn't absorb
|t. l thought, wo||, l don't want to bo rudo, what am l go|ng to say to h|m whon |t stops? 3ocauso
ho's go|ng to go: 'What do you th|nk?'
And ho d|d: 'What do you th|nk?'
'Erm . . . what was that . . . on tho th|rd track . . . that oh . . .'
'Oh, that was . . .'
|o startod to oxp|a|n tho who|o th|ng: '1hat's thoso drums and . . .'
And l on|y wont thoro |ook|ng tor a bass p|ayor!
As a mus|c|an l th|nk |rank was vory c|ovor, ospoc|a||y at arrang|ng, and h|s band was t|ght as
sh|t.
Whon l wont to soo thom onco |n 3|rm|ngham, ho sa|d: 'l'vo got a surpr|so tor you ton|ght.'
'Ah?'
1hoy p|ayod 'lron Van'. l was |n tho bar and l hoard thom p|ay |t and l thought, b|oody ho||! l
wont back out and l thought, l'|| thank h|m attor tho show. 3ut ho had such a bad n|ght that ho
stormod ott stago, roa||y p|ssod ott. 3o l thought, hmm, l don't th|nk l'm go|ng to go back. Evon
so, |t was a n|co surpr|so.
lt was on th|s 1ochn|ca| Ecstasy tour that tho mystor|ous '1ony's tw|n' was |urk|ng about. 1h|s
b|oko p|aguod mo tor many yoars. 1ony's tw|n drossod up ||ko mo, ho had a moustacho and ho
was a gu|tar p|ayor as wo||. |o mado h|s own th|mb|os and ovon startod markot|ng thom and
so|||ng thom. |o turnod up at our hoto| a|| tho t|mo and poop|o wou|d th|nk ho was mo. Evontua||y
|t t|zz|od out, a|though l hoard trom th|s guy aga|n not too |ong ago through my wobs|to. |o sont a
p|cturo ot h|m p|ay|ng, but ho doosn't |ook tho samo now, ho shavod h|s moustacho ott and
ovoryth|ng. vory pocu||ar.
1horo was anothor b|oko who p|aguod mo |ator on. |o c|a|mod to bo my son. |o was about
t|tty, so l don't know how ho cou|d poss|b|y bo my son, but ho |ns|stod ho was. |o usod to t|nd
out whoro l was and phono up. Vy socond w|to, Vo||nda, answorod tho phono ono day and |t
was h|m say|ng: 'lt's 1ony's son.'
Ot courso |t throw hor a|togothor, sho thought l had a son thon.
'What do you moan, you'vo got a son!'
'l havon't got a son!'
'l just spoko to h|m!'
1h|s guy actua||y changod h|s namo to lomm|. 3omo band ovon mado a rocord about h|m. lt
was t|t|od somoth|ng ||ko 'lract|s|ng 1o 3o 1ony lomm|'.
42
Wo Novor 5ay Dio
lropar|ng tor tho rocord|ng ot Novot 5oy Llo! wo woro try|ng to wr|to songs, but |t was hard.
Wh||o wo woro tour|ng Amor|ca, punk happonod. Wo ovon had 1ho lamonos support|ng us. l
wou|dn't want to put thom down at a||, but l th|nk that was a wrong match. 1hoy d|dn't go down
wo|| and woro gott|ng th|ngs thrown at thom a|| tho t|mo, so wo had to tako thom ott tho tour.
l d|dn't know whothor l ||kod th|s punk stutt. Aggross|on |s ono th|ng |n tho mus|c, but whon |t
comos to sp|tt|ng and cutt|ng yourso|t, |t just soomod a ||tt|o b|t tar ott to mo. 3ut l ||kod somo ot
tho songs, corta|n|y |ator. And somo crod|tod 3|ack 3abbath as an |nt|uonco.
l thought, oh, l can't soo that somohow.
lunk com|ng |n throw us a b|t. 1ho 3trang|ors woro at lo. 1 at that t|mo. l romombor Goozor
say|ng: 'Wo'ro a b|t o|d hat now w|th a|| thoso r|tts and stutt.'
l a|most to|t ||ko, God, what am l go|ng to como up w|th thon?! And aga|n tho othor guys usod
to go down to tho pub and thon thoy'd como back ask|ng: '|avo you got anyth|ng?'
'lo, can't th|nk ot anyth|ng . . .'
Wr|t|ng bocamo vory d|tt|cu|t, ospoc|a||y attor Goozor say|ng that. lt to|t ||ko wo d|dn't bo||ovo |n
what wo woro do|ng any moro. l to|t hurt. l kopt th|nk|ng, |t l'm go|ng to como up w|th a r|tt, thon
thoy'|| probab|y say: 'Oh, can't wo do somoth|ng o|so?'
1ho guys d|dn't say that, but l to|t ||ko thoy wou|d. A|| th|s whon l had a|roady bookod a
rocord|ng stud|o |n 1oronto, so tho prossuro was mount|ng.
1hon Ozzy |ott. |o just d|dn't want to do |t any moro. lt was a roa||y d|tt|cu|t por|od tor us, but wo
novor cons|dorod pack|ng |t |n. Wo askod ourso|vos, w||| ho como back? |o m|ght chango h|s
m|nd, wo don't know. 3ut wo a|so sa|d: 'Wo can't just s|t horo, wo havo to do somoth|ng.'
Vo and 3||| know th|s s|ngor trom o|d, 0avo Wa|kor, trom tho t|mo whon ho was |n a |oca|
3|rm|ngham band ca||od 1ho lod Caps. |o |ator sang w|th 3avoy 3rown and ||ootwood Vac
and had movod to 3an |ranc|sco. l romomborod h|m hav|ng a good vo|co, so wo got |n touch
w|th h|m. Wo woro grasp|ng at straws roa||y, th|nk|ng, wo'ro horo to wr|to an a|bum, wo havo a
stud|o bookod and wo havo no s|ngor! Wo rohoarsod w|th 0avo tor a wh||o and wroto two or
throo songs w|th h|m. Word got out to tho pross and wo ovon d|d a |oca| 3|rm|ngham 1v show
w|th h|m, but wo just d|dn't too| |t was r|ght. 1hon Ozzy sa|d: 'l'm sorry' and a|| that, and ho camo
back. Wo to|d 0avo and ho wont. |owovor, Ozzy d|dn't roturn unt|| two or throo days botoro wo
woro duo to go |nto tho stud|o |n 1oronto. Wo cou|dn't canco| that bocauso wo'd pa|d a |ot ot
monoy up tront. 3ut wo st||| had no songs apart trom tho throo wo'd dono w|th 0avo, and Ozzy
wou|dn't s|ng thoso.
Wo wont to 1oronto and |t was abso|uto|y trooz|ng. Wo oach h|rod apartmonts c|oso to tho
3ounds lntorchango 3tud|os. Wo a|so h|rod a c|noma w|th a stago |n |t, to wr|to and rohoarso
now songs. Wo workod horo trom n|no o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng |n tho trooz|ng co|d, bocauso tho
p|aco had hard|y any hoat|ng, and thon at n|ght wo wont to tho stud|o to rocord. lt was just tota||y
wrong tor us. Up to that po|nt wo'd wr|to somoth|ng and thon ||vo w|th |t tor a b|t, g|v|ng tho songs
t|mo to grow: '0o wo ||ko |t? lot's chango th|s b|t, or |ot's chango that.'
ln 1oronto wo novor had that |uxury. 1hat's why to mo Novot 5oy Llo! |s vory much ott tho wa||.
1horo aro somo tracks l ||kod on |t, but |t's hard to ro|ato to that a|bum bocauso ot tho way |t was
dono. lt was a b|ttor t|mo tor us.
Acc|donts novor como s|ng|y. 1ho stud|o turnod out to bo crap. l had bookod tho p|aco, so |t
was my tau|t. l just choso |t basod on tho ||st ot tho namos ot poop|o who had usod |t botoro. lt
was roa||y oxpons|vo, but tho sound was as doad as a doorna||, so mo and tho ong|noor tr|od to
got a b|t ot ||vo sound |n thoro by pu|||ng a|| tho carpot up. 1ho ownor ot tho stud|o hoard what wo
woro do|ng, so ho camo down bark|ng: 'What's go|ng on!'
l sa|d: 'Wo just can't got a good sound. lt's doad.'
'You can't pu|| tho carpot up!'
'Wo||, wo d|d. lt's ro||od up!'
lt was a n|ghtmaro. 1hoy sa|d 1ho lo|||ng 3tonos had usod tho stud|o, but maybo thoy just d|d
somo ovordubs or somoth|ng. l actua||y bought a storoo that had boon |ott boh|nd by Ko|th
l|chards, bocauso l wantod to p|ay mus|c |n my apartmont. lt had a|| thoso marks on tho top ot
tho spoakors, whoro somobody had boon chopp|ng up drugs. Wo just smokod a |ot ot dopo at
tho t|mo. Ono day l smokod a ||tt|o too much and l sa|d: 'l'vo got to go to my room.' Vy apartmont
was throo t|oors up. l usod tho sta|rs as l d|dn't want to bump |nto anybody |n tho o|ovator. l
wa|kod up, put my koy |n tho door, wont |nto tho room, put tho ||ght on and thought, strango, |t
|ooks d|ttoront. lt's a|| boon docoratod. lt's got wa||papor and ovoryth|ng |n horo!
l don't know why l d|dn't stop thoro. l wa|kod |nto tho bodroom and thoro was a guy and h|s
w|to |n bod and thoy shot up and l had tho shock ot my ||to. 1hoy scroamod and l wont: 'Aaaah!',
scroam|ng r|ght back at thom. l just cou|dn't got my hoad togothor at a||. 3o l sa|d: 'l'm sorry, l'm
sorry, l must bo |n tho wrong room!' and shot out ot thoro.
l had wa|kod up ono t|oor too many. Vy koy had t|ttod |n tho|r door, wh|ch was roa||y pocu||ar. l
got to my own apartmont and tho noxt day tho supor camo by, bocauso my upsta|rs no|ghbours
had mado a comp|a|nt. l sa|d: 'Wo||, my koy shou|dn't havo t|ttod tho|r door!'
l to|d thom what happonod, convon|ont|y torgott|ng about tho tact that l was stonod.
0osp|to tho co|d and tho dopo and tho stud|o, wo d|d manago to rocord an a|bum. l actua||y
sang back|ng voca|s on 'A |ard load'. lt was tho t|rst t|mo l ovor d|d that. And tho |ast, bocauso
tho othor guys cou|dn't koop a stra|ght taco. l was s|ng|ng away, |ook|ng at thom and Goozor
was crack|ng up. l had to koop s|ng|ng and ho kopt |augh|ng. lt was roa||y ombarrass|ng. lovor
aga|n!
'3w|ng|ng 1ho Cha|n' was a track that wo or|g|na||y d|d w|th 0avo Wa|kor. Ozzy rotusod to
s|ng |t, but wo had to rocord |t anyway, bocauso othorw|so wo wou|dn't havo onough to t||| an
a|bum. 3||| sa|d: 'Wo||, l'|| s|ng |t thon.'
And so ho d|d. Wo kopt tho mus|c and 3||| just rowroto tho |yr|cs.
lt's not ||ko Ozzy d|dn't want to do 'Ovor 1o You' o|thor, but ho cou|dn't th|nk ot anyth|ng to s|ng
on |t, so wo ondod up br|ng|ng |n thoso sax p|ayors |nstoad. lt was roa| tunny por|od tor us, what
w|th Ozzy |oav|ng and com|ng back. Go|ng |nto tho stud|o to rocord th|s a|bum, |t was vory |tty.
And, ot courso, Ozzy d|dn't |ast much |ongor anyway attor that. |o actua||y d|d ond up do|ng ono
song wo d|d w|th 0avo Wa|kor oar||or, whothor ho know |t or not. Goozor wroto tho |yr|cs tor |t
and wo ca||od |t '1un|or's Eyos'.
1ho t|t|o track, 'lovor 3ay 0|o', was ro|oasod as a s|ng|o, tho t|rst ono s|nco 'larano|d'. Wo'd
sa|d wo wou|d novor do anothor s|ng|o, bocauso wo woro attract|ng a |ot ot scroam|ng k|ds. 3ut
|t had boon a tow yoars, so what tho ho||. lt got |n tho Eng||sh charts and wo ovon d|d 7op o tbo
Pops w|th |t. Aga|n, that was a wo|rd show to do. 3ob Var|oy was on tho programmo w|th us. 3|||
at that t|mo had h|s ha|r bra|dod and ovorybody thought ho was tak|ng tho m|ckoy out ot 3ob. lt
wasn't ||ko that at a||, |t was just tho way ho happonod to havo h|s ha|r |n thoso days.
A|| |n a||, |t took us qu|to a wh||o to rocord Novot 5oy Llo!. Wo p|oddod on l supposo. Wo
d|dn't oot got a|ong - wo a|ways got a|ong - but |t was hard work, much hardor than |t had ovor
boon botoro. ln tho c|rcumstancos wo'd put ourso|vos |n, |t was roa||y d|tt|cu|t to mako an a|bum
and l to|t a |ot ot prossuro do|ng |t. lt was oxpons|vo as wo||. lt wasn't just tho stud|o, but wo a|so
had to ||vo thoro. Wo a|| bocamo shoppors, go|ng to tho supormarkot w|th our tro||oys gott|ng our
grocor|os and com|ng back |n th|ck snow. 3hopp|ng was a|so a roason to got out ot tho
apartmont, to go somowhoro d|ttoront tor a chango. And wo wont to th|s c|ub on tho cornor ot tho
road wo ||vod on, ca||od tho Gasworks. 1ho supormarkot and tho c|ub down tho stroot . . . so
much tor ontorta|nmont.
Novot 5oy Llo! was doomod trom start to t|n|sh. Ozzy |oav|ng, try|ng out 0avo Wa|kor - |t
throw tho who|o th|ng out ot whack. 1ho a|bum was just dono day-by-day, so thoro was no tormat
to |t. You cou|dn't s|t back and th|nk, oh, l can soo that |oads |nto tho othor. 1ho songs d|dn't
ro|ato to oach othor, |t was so ott tho wa||. 1ho aud|onco must'vo thought th|s as wo||: what's
go|ng on horo?
Aga|n |t was: 'Wo don't nood a producor, wo can do |t ourso|vos.'
1hat wasn't just mo say|ng |t, that was a|| ot us. 3ut |t wou|d havo boon tar bottor |t wo had
usod a producor. Wo corta|n|y roa||sod that whon wo d|d our noxt a|bum, loovoo ooo lo||.
|av|ng a producor |nvo|vod takos tho stra|n ott.
3tart|ng Vay 1078 tho lovor 3ay 0|o tour bouncod back and torth botwoon tho UK, Europo
and tho 3tatos, w|th van |a|on opon|ng tor us a|| tho way through unt|| tho ond |n 0ocombor.
Evon though thoy st||| woro ro|at|vo|y now, thoy woro roa||y good. 1hoy watchod us p|ay a|most
ovory n|ght and wo bocamo c|oso tr|onds. l'd soo Edd|o a |ot. l a|ways had a b|t ot coko and ho'd
como around to my room and wo'd ta|k t||| tho doath. As you do.
1o mo Edd|o van |a|on was so d|ttoront trom a|| tho othor gu|tar p|ayors who woro around
back thon. 1ho t|ngor tapp|ng - a|though ho doosn't ca|| |t that - was a groat tochn|quo. 1hoy
woro a roa||y onorgot|c band and thoy woro go|ng down groat. 1hoy mado us |ook a b|t drab
roa||y, as thoy d|d a|| th|s acrobat|c stutt, what w|th 0av|d loo loth do|ng somorsau|ts on stago
and Chr|st knows what o|so. Good showmansh|p, groat p|ayors, you cou|d soo that thoy woro
roa||y go|ng to tako ott.
lt was a groat tour, but |n our camp thoro woro s|gns ot crack|ng. Ozzy wasn't happy. loss|b|y
h|s tathor's doath had somoth|ng to do w|th that. 1ack Osbourno had d|od ot cancor |n tho
autumn ot 1077, just botoro Ozzy |ott tho t|rst t|mo. Ozzy's dad was a groat, |ovo|y guy and l
attondod h|s tunora|. 3ut wo novor roa||y spoko about |t. Vaybo Ozzy just wantod to got away
trom |t a|| tor a wh||o, to doa| w|th whatovor hang-ups ho had. 3ut wo d|dn't havo that |uxury, wo
cou|dn't tako t|mo ott. lt got to tho po|nt whoro wo just p|oddod on. Wo had ach|ovod qu|to a |ot,
wo a|| had onjoyod succoss, wo a|| ownod homos and cars, ovorybody was comtortab|o.
lorhaps wo got too comtortab|o and wo |ost our dr|vo, tho aggross|on ot want|ng to go out and
t|ght tor |t.
Wo a|so thought, wo'ro gott|ng too o|d tor th|s, bocauso wo saw youngor k|ds com|ng up, ||ko
van |a|on. Wo actua||y woron't ovon that o|d, but wo woro |n compar|son to most ot tho now
bands. Whon wo d|d |ntorv|ows, tho quost|on a|ways was: '|ow |ong aro you go|ng to bo do|ng
th|s? 0on't you th|nk |t's about t|mo to pack |t |n?'
Wo woro on|y th|rty, th|rty-t|vo yoars o|d and thoy startod ta|k|ng about us rot|r|ng. Wo woro
bocom|ng o|d hat and l th|nk tho spark had gono. Evorybody was th|nk|ng, wo'ro just go|ng
through tho mot|ons ot |t roa||y. And wo woro p|ay|ng an a|bum wo d|dn't ovon ||ko ourso|vos.
Wo p|ayod tho |ammorsm|th Odoon on 10 and 11 1uno 1078 and that was our ton-yoar
ann|vorsary. 1on yoars was a |ong t|mo. van |a|on w|th 0av|d loo loth d|dn't |ast ton yoars!
Wo rocordod thoso shows and ro|oasod that rocord|ng as a ||vo homo v|doo cassotto at that
t|mo. lt was ca||od Novot 5oy Llo!, but tho band was not at a|| wo||, and ovon though tho pat|ont
was st||| up and about, tho |||noss u|t|mato|y provod to bo torm|na|.
Wo|| botoro Ozzy |ott us tor tho socond t|mo, ho wont m|ss|ng. ln lovombor ho d|sappoarod
botoro a show |n lashv|||o. 3upposod|y ho had a bad throat. Wo chockod |nto th|s hoto| and ho
drank a bott|o ot l|ght lurso co|d and t|u mod|c|no. You'ro supposod to havo just a tow spoons,
but ho downod tho who|o b|oody bott|o. |o wont to h|s room but ondod up |n tho wrong ono. |o
saw th|s room opon, thoro was a ma|d |n thoro, sho camo out and ho wont |nto that room,
passod out on tho bod and that was |t. Voanwh||o, h|s bags had boon sont up to h|s own room.
Wo woro do|ng a show on tho n|ght, but no Ozzy.
'Oh, b||moy!'
Wo phonod h|s room: noth|ng. 3o wo got tho guy to go and opon tho door. ||s su|tcaso was
st||| thoro, a|| packod, and tho bod was mado.
'God, what's happonod?'
Wo startod worry|ng thon.
'What's go|ng on! l wondor |t ho's gono down to tho g|g a|roady . . .'
'Why wou|d ho do that?'
Wo wont to tho g|g t|rst, to soo |t ho was thoro: no s|gn ot h|m. Wo d|dn't know what to th|nk.
1hon tho rumour startod that ho had boon k|dnappod. Wo ovon got |t advort|sod on 1v, rad|o
and ovoryth|ng that ho was m|ss|ng. lt was just unbo||ovab|o. And |t was gott|ng c|osor and c|osor
to show t|mo.
lo show.
Wo had to pu|| tho g|g, wh|ch roa||y wont down wo||. Wo |ott |t to tho |ast m|nuto, th|nk|ng ho
m|ght turn up. |o had d|sappoarod |n tho past and thon just ondod up |n somobody's houso, out
ot |t, but novor on a g|g day. 3o wo woro ha|t worr|od to doath, and ha|t p|ssod ott, th|nk|ng, wo
havo a ha|| tu|| ot poop|o, thoy aro novor go|ng to bo||ovo us |t wo go on and say: 'Wo can't t|nd
Ozzy.'
Wo thon roa||y startod to pan|c. Evon though van |a|on p|ayod, tho aud|onco was go|ng mad
and wo had to got out ot thoro qu|ck. Wo got |n touch w|th rad|o stat|ons and ovory t|ttoon
m|nutos thoy'd do a bu||ot|n: '|as anybody soon Ozzy?'
1h|s wont on and on and wo woro awako a|| b|oody n|ght wondor|ng what tho ho|| was go|ng
on. 1hon Ozzy phonod my room: 'What's happon|ng?'
'|uck|ng ho||, what do you moan, what's happon|ng. Whoro tho ho|| aro you!'
'l'm |n my room.'
'You'ro not |n your room!'
'Yos, l am!'
'lo, you'ro not!'
Ono ot thoso.
'l took th|s l|ght lurso, l don't know what happonod, l tuck|ng passod out.'
3o that was tho story. Wo woro conv|ncod ho had boon k|dnappod and that thoro was go|ng
to bo somo ransom noto. 3ut ho was |n tho hoto|. Wo to|t ||ko k||||ng h|m. 3ut Ozzy's
d|sappoar|ng act was on|y ||ght ontorta|nmont |n compar|son w|th what wou|d happon ovor tho
noxt coup|o ot months.
1h|ngs wou|d on|y got worso . . .
48
Ozzy gooa
Attor tho wor|d tour, tho who|o band movod to lA tor o|ovon months. Aga|n |t was a tax th|ng, so
wo thought wo'd sh|p out thoro, wr|to tho noxt a|bum and rocord |t. 3ut |t turnod |nto a h|gh|y
trustrat|ng, novor-ond|ng procoss.
0on Ardon was manag|ng us by thon, w|th h|s daughtor 3haron ass|st|ng h|m. l d|d a |ot ot tho
doa||ngs tor tho band, so l was |n contact a |ot w|th hor, ta|k|ng about whoro wo woro go|ng to
||vo, rohoarso, rocord and whatovor o|so.
Wo a|| movod |nto th|s groat houso, whoro wo turnod tho garago |nto a rohoarsa| stud|o. 1ho
noxt movo wou|d bo to como up w|th |doas, but that d|dn't happon. Aga|n wo woro do|ng a |ot ot
coko. Go|ng out party|ng, and turthor party|ng at tho houso, and thon try|ng to wr|to th|s stutt, |t
was hard. 3ut what mado |t noxt to |mposs|b|o was that Ozzy wasn't |nto |t. |o was on anothor
p|anot. Wo'd try and mot|vato h|m, say|ng: 'Any |doas?'
'lo, l can't th|nk ot anyth|ng.'
And thon ho'd pass out on tho couch. lt was trustrat|ng, bocauso |t was go|ng on and on and
wo woro gott|ng nowhoro. l'd bo go|ng to Warnor 3ros. locords bocauso thoy'd want to soo tho
progross, and thoy'd go: '|ow's |t go|ng?'
'Oh, groat!'
3ut wo had dono noth|ng.
'|ow aro tho tracks sound|ng?'
'Oh, roa||y good!'
3|oody ho||, what was l supposod to say? 'Wo'vo boon horo tor s|x months and wo havon't
dono sh|t'? 1hoy d|dn't want to hoar that. lt got moro ombarrass|ng ovory t|mo l wont down thoro.
Wo'd boon thoro tor months and Ozzy hadn't roa||y sung much at a||. Wo cou|dn't havo a good
convorsat|on w|th h|m, bocauso ho took moro boozo and drugs and was protty much out ot |t.
Wo'd a|| bo at t|mos, but ho was on a tota||y d|ttoront |ovo| a|togothor. Wo cou|d st||| croato, but
drugs and dr|nk attoct corta|n poop|o d|ttoront|y. l th|nk Ozzy just |ost |ntorost |n |t a||. Wo had
about throo |doas down, mus|ca||y, but wo d|dn't know whoro to go noxt w|thout Ozzy's |nput.
Wo'd wr|to a song and thon ho'd go: 'l don't want to s|ng on |t.' |o sang a b|t on 'Ch||dron Ot 1ho
3oa', and thon ho sort ot t|zz|od away. lt t|na||y got to a po|nt whoro wo sa|d: 'lt Ozzy can't do |t,
wo'ro go|ng to havo to o|thor broak up or wo aro go|ng to havo to br|ng somobody o|so |n.'
Ozzy wasn't yot |nvo|vod w|th 3haron thon. As a mattor ot tact, l was |nvo|vod w|th hor t|rst, but
wo on|y had a tr|ond-||ko ro|at|onsh|p. lt novor was a |ovo ro|at|onsh|p. l had to doa| w|th hor a||
tho t|mo and l ||kod hor as a porson. l sa|d to 3haron: 'Wo aro hav|ng such a prob|om w|th Ozzy.'
3ho wont: 'Oh, g|vo h|m t|mo.'
l sa|d: 'Wo'vo got to got go|ng. 1ho rocord company |s ask|ng us whoro tho mus|c |s.'
lt got to tho crunch and wo had to g|vo Ozzy an u|t|matum: 'You havo to do somoth|ng,
othorw|so wo aro go|ng to havo to rop|aco you.'
And that's what happonod. 3||| spoko to h|m and sa|d: 'look, wo'ro go|ng to havo to movo on.'
lt was sad. Wo had boon togothor tor a docado, but |t got to a po|nt whoro wo cou|dn't ro|ato
to oach othor any moro. 1horo woro so many drugs t|y|ng around, coko and Ouaa|udos and
Vandrax, and thoro was boozo and |ato n|ghts and womon and ovoryth|ng o|so. And thon you
got moro parano|d and you th|nk, thoy hato mo. Wo novor tought, but |t's hard to got through to
poop|o, to commun|cato and so|vo th|ngs whon ovorybody's out ot |t. |or somo roason l bocamo
tho assho|o |n |t a||. Ozzy sooms to th|nk |t was mo who pushod |t, but l was on|y spoak|ng on
boha|t ot tho band and try|ng to got tho th|ng go|ng. 3omobody had to mako a movo, somobody
had to do somoth|ng othorw|so wo'd st||| bo thoro now and wo'd a|| bo out ot |t. 3o that was |t.
l thought, maybo wo shou|d broak up and l'|| do somoth|ng o|so. lt was at that po|nt that 3haron
|ntroducod mo to lonn|o 1amos 0|o at a party. 3ho suggostod l shou|d do a soparato projoct
and do that w|th lonn|o. l approachod h|m and sa|d: 'l'm |n a torr|b|o s|tuat|on. l don't th|nk |t's
go|ng to work out any moro w|th what wo got. Wou|d you bo |ntorostod |n do|ng somoth|ng o|so?'
44
5uaan'a 5cottiah aoct
Ozzy wasn't tho on|y noarost and doarost |oav|ng mo. Vy marr|ago to 3usan ondod around tho
t|mo l movod w|th tho band to lA. ln somo ways l can undorstand why. 3uo was |ott a|ono at th|s
hugo houso wh||o l was on tour and as soon as l camo back l'd bo |n tho stud|o. lt must havo
boon vory |ono|y tor hor. 3ho a|so saw tho othor guys go|ng on ho||day w|th tho|r w|vos wh||o l
stayod boh|nd, work|ng |n tho stud|o. l d|dn't soo that l noodod to |ook attor tho ro|at|onsh|p
moro. W|th mo |t was a|| work, work, work. l got b||ndod by |t. You'vo got to do what you'vo got to
do, havon't you? 3ut bocauso ot that our ro|at|onsh|p wont astray.
3ho wantod a d|vorco and wont ahoad w|th tho papors. lt was a shock. l got b|ttor about |t a||
and as a roact|on to |t l wont a b|t mad. l wont to lA and l was go|ng tor |t. l had so many g|r|s
como |n that l bookod thom at d|ttoront t|mos: l'd havo ono g|r| como at two o'c|ock and thon
anothor a coup|o ot hours |ator, to|||ng hor: 'Wo don't t|n|sh rohoarsa|s t||| throo, so |t you como |n
at tour . . .'
Ono t|mo l was w|th th|s g|r| and l hoard tho buzzor go|ng at tho gato. l |ookod out ot tho
w|ndow and |t was th|s othor g|r|. l sa|d: 'Ou|ck! You got to go, |t's my w|to!'
3ho troakod out: 'Aah!'
l sa|d: 'Go across tho root and got down tho wa|| thoro!'
l got hor out ot tho w|ndow and sho c||mbod across tho root wh|ch s|opod down, so sho cou|d
jump ott |t oasy. As sho was craw||ng a|ong, tho ma|d and my gu|tar toch woro outs|do |ook|ng
up, shak|ng tho|r hoads.
l gavo up tho K||worth houso. Whon l camo back homo trom lA l movod |n w|th my to|ks tor a
wh||o. ln tho moant|mo, 3usan jo|nod th|s soct |n tho UK whoro you g|vo your monoy and a|| your
possoss|ons away, and you movo |n w|th thom and ||vo ott tho |and. lt was roa||y awkward. l
spoko to hor paronts about |t a|| and thoy woro |n shock. 1hoy sa|d to mo: 'You'vo got to como
back and ||vo |n tho houso.'
3ut l sa|d: 'lo, l can't. l can't soo mo com|ng back thoro now.'
l had somobody va|uo tho turn|turo. l put what bo|ongod to mo |n storago, so|d somo ot tho
othor stutt and gavo 3usan tho monoy. 3ho d|dn't roa||y want |t, as sho had movod |nto th|s soct
and sho'd g|von thom a|| tho monoy sho was go|ng to g|vo thom. l novor undorstood oxact|y who
thoy woro, th|s soct, and no|thor d|d hor to|ks.
Wo|| attor tho marr|ago had ondod, sho phonod mo out ot tho b|uo and sa|d: 'l|oaso como
and got mo. l'm |n troub|o.'
3ho was up |n lnvornoss, |n 3cot|and. l was w|th a tr|ond |n a c|ub |n 3|rm|ngham and l'd had a
tow dr|nks. l pan|ckod and sa|d: '3ho's hav|ng prob|oms, l'vo got to go ovor thoro!'
Vo and th|s tr|ond wont up |n my lo||s-loyco. 3ocauso |t was a |ong way l'd dr|vo a hundrod
m||os and thon ho'd dr|vo tho noxt hundrod. Wo t|na||y got thoro, a|| stubb|y and t|rod and
shattorod, and sho wont: 'Why havo you como up?'
'3ocauso you woro hav|ng prob|oms!'
'Oh, wo||, l th|nk |t's sortod out now.'
l sa|d: 'You'ro com|ng w|th us!'
'lo, l'm not.'
'Yos, you aro!'
Ono ot thoso. 3ho d|dn't, so wo got |n tho car and wont. 0rovo back anothor 800 m||os.
l saw hor aga|n just ono moro t|mo, whon l was |n a ro|at|onsh|p w|th l|ta |ord. l|ta was |n lA
wh||o l was back homo |n 3|rm|ngham and 3usan camo to my houso. 3ho wantod to got back
togothor. l sa|d to hor: 'look, l don't too| tho samo way about you any moro and l'vo got a
g|r|tr|ond now.'
lt's hard to rok|nd|o somoth|ng ||ko that. And that was tho ond ot |t. 3ho movod to Austra||a and
l havon't soon hor s|nco.
45
Dio dooa but Don don't
lonn|o was up tor do|ng somoth|ng togothor, but l d|dn't got |n touch w|th h|m tor a wh||o
bocauso wo woro st||| |n a stato ot contus|on about Ozzy. Attor ho |ott l t|na||y sa|d to 3||| and
Goozor: 'Why don't wo try lonn|o?'
l ca||od h|m and sa|d: 'Wo'ro hav|ng anothor typo ot s|tuat|on, wou|d you bo |ntorostod |n
hav|ng a go?'
Wo |nv|tod h|m ovor to tho houso and p|ayod h|m 'Ch||dron Ot 1ho 3oa'. 1ust ||ko that lonn|o
camo up w|th th|s voca| mo|ody tor |t. Wo woro roa||y |mprossod, bocauso w|th|n a day wo'd
gono trom noth|ng happon|ng tor agos to bo|ng ab|o to como up w|th a song |mmod|ato|y. Wo
p|ayod a b|t ot 'lady Ev||', and lonn|o |mmod|ato|y sang to that as wo||. Wo thought, b|oody ho||,
wo'ro on to a w|nnor! lt gavo us a b|t ot a ||tt. Wo woro st||| too||ng sad about Ozzy go|ng, but |t
had run |ts courso. low wo woro p|oasod that wo woro actua||y ab|o to do somoth|ng.
Ozzy had |ott tho houso by thon, but 0on Ardon was try|ng dosporato|y to got h|m back |nto tho
band. 0on t|na||y had th|s band that ho had a|ways wantod . . . and wo broko up! |o cou|dn't
accopt that, ho had to havo tho or|g|na| ||no-up, so ho |ns|stod: 'lt's novor go|ng to work w|th
lonn|o.'
l sa|d: '3ut |t |s work|ng! Wo'vo got somo good stutt and wo aro ro|||ng. And Ozzy |s not
capab|o at tho momont ot do|ng th|s, ho's not |nto |t at a||.'
|o kopt go|ng: 'G|vo h|m anothor chanco.'
Wo had ||vod a|| thoso ton months at tho houso and noth|ng was happon|ng w|th Ozzy, so how
como |t wou|d suddon|y bo happon|ng |n anothor coup|o ot wooks? Wo a|so hadn't torgotton tho
tact that Ozzy had a|roady |ott onco, botoro Novot 5oy Llo!. lt cost us a tortuno, wo woron't
croat|ng any moro, ovorybody got doprossod and p|ssod ott w|th ovoryth|ng, so wo d|dn't soo
how wo cou|d go on w|th h|m any moro. 0on st||| carr|od on: 'Wo'vo got to got Ozzy back, wo'vo
got to got Ozzy back!'
Wo sa|d: '0on, ho's not |nto |t. lt's not go|ng to work.'
And 0on, ot courso, camo back w|th: 'You can't havo a m|dgot s|ng|ng tor 3|ack 3abbath!'
As ho wou|d. 3ut wo had to draw tho ||no. Wo woro to go on w|th lonn|o.
1hon Goozor |ott. |o had mar|ta| prob|oms, so ho had to go homo to sort |t out and bas|ca||y
|oavo tho band tor a wh||o. lonn|o p|ayod tho bass tor a b|t, so suddon|y wo woro a throo-p|oco:
3|||, lonn|o and mo. Wo camo up w|th a coup|o ot th|ngs, but that's whon l t|ow Goott l|cho||s
ovor. l sa|d: 'Wo'|| just got somobody |n tomporar||y, who can ho|p out wh||o wo aro horo.'
1ho t|rst song tho tour ot us camo up w|th was '|oavon And |o||'. l p|ayod th|s r|tt and lonn|o
just sang away to |t. lt was that |nstantanoous. And wo sa|d to oach othor: 'Oh man, do wo ||ko
th|s!'
lonn|o a|ways drovo up |n h|s Cad|||ac. |o had to ra|so tho soat up, tho car was that b|g.
1horo woro a |ot ot snakos whoro wo ||vod. Wo tound out that lonn|o was atra|d ot thom, so l got
th|s doad snako and l t|od a p|oco ot t|sh|ng ||no to |ts hoad and t|xod |t to tho hand|o ot tho car
door. l put tho snako on tho passongor's s|do and c|osod tho door, so whon lonn|o oponod tho
dr|vor's door ho'd pu|| tho snako towards h|m. lt workod: ho a|most shat h|mso|t.

What an ango|!

Out w|th Vum, l'm not amusod

lt'|| novor catch on. l|ay|ng tho accord|on, ||ko my dad botoro mo, |n our backyard |n lark lano

3pot tho hoo||gans: mo on tho back row top r|ght, and A|bort Chapman at tho |ott ond ot tho
m|dd|o row

Vy t|rst 3trat, botoro l pa|ntod |t!

Vy t|rst propor band, tho lock|n' Chovro|ots, |n 1004

1ho lost, my t|rst band w|th 3||| Ward

0ad d|dn't ||ko tho car l bought h|m but ho |ovod h|s tractor

1ho lamborgh|n| |s worth about t|vo t|mos moro than my paronts' houso

lhoto shoot tor a lo||s loyco ca|ondar. 0|d |t ovor como out?

lns|do tho tamous K||worth consorvatory w|th tho t|rst ot my many dogs

Vy t|rst wodd|ng, w|th 3ost Van 1ohn 3onham (tar r|ght ot p|cturo), 1078

K||worth |ouso, whoro l ||vod w|th my t|rst w|to, 3usan

0odgy charactors

Wo soom happy!

lovo tho board, Ozzy. C|rcusthoator 3chovon|ngon, |o||and, Octobor 107b

3otoro l tound b|ack

Vy baby

U3 succoss tor larano|d w|th both latr|ck Voohans

3r|an Vay, mo and Edd|o van |a|on |n 1078

lonn|o, v|nny, mo and Goozor, somowhoro strango. 3utta|o, lY, 0ocombor 1081

Goozor, lonn|o and mo - Vob lu|os! 1o|odo, Oh|o, lovombor 1081

v|nny, tho t|rst t|mo round. v|nny to||owod 3||| on drums, start|ng |n |awa|| |n 1080

Goozor, mo and 3r|an Vay at |ammorsm|th Odoon, 1080

W|th |ong-t|mo co||aborator, Goott l|cho||s

Vum and l at |o|tord |ouso

Outs|do tho Vanor 3tud|os. Yos, |t's a b|ack cat!

Cozy and lo|| Vurray |n Vox|co botoro wo ran tor our ||vos

Got ya! ||-j|nks w|th v|nny at lockt|o|d 3tud|os wh||o rocord|ng 1ho 0ov|| You Know |n 2008

W|th 1on|-Var|o, my aunt lau||no and Var|a

Vy 3|rm|ngham star on tho c|ty's Wa|k ot |amo

A pross contoronco w|th lan G|||an |n Armon|a, 2000. Wo roco|vod tho Ordor Ot |onour award
tor tho char|ty s|ng|o wo mado 2b yoars oar||or

Grown up baby: 1on|-Var|o

Var|a and l at tho C|ass|c lock Awards

l|jmogon, |o||and, 1uno 200b

Van at work. 0on|ngton |ost|va|, 1uno 200b
lt camo back at mo, bocauso l wont to tho |oo ono day |n my bodroom and ||ttod tho ||d up,
and, b|oody ho||, thoro was a snako thoro. 0oad ono aga|n. 3hat myso|t botoro l cou|d roach tho
to||ot soat.
Wo p|ayod jokos on oach othor a|| tho t|mo. 1ok|ng around ||ko that makos poop|o got a|ong
bottor. lt's a|so a tost l supposo, to soo |t somobody |s go|ng to bo ab|o to put up w|th |t.
1h|ngs woro go|ng vory wo||, but wo st||| had 0on go|ng: 'lt's novor go|ng to work. lt you don't
got Ozzy back, that's |t.'
Wo woro at work at tho houso and a|| ot a suddon somo guys turnod up to tako tho turn|turo
away that 3haron had rontod tor us. Gradua||y wo woro soo|ng th|ngs go|ng m|ss|ng. Wo warnod
oach othor: '0on't |ot thom |n. 1hoy'|| tako tho couch!'
lt was abso|uto|y awtu|, so wo doc|dod to sovor our ro|at|onsh|p w|th 0on comp|oto|y. |o had
wantod to manago us tor such a |ong t|mo, and now ho had |ookod attor us tor on|y a short wh||o.
3andy loar|man, an Amor|can guy who managod 3|uo Oystor Cu|t, thon wantod to tako us on.
Wo kopt that on tho back burnor, bocauso wo wont back to do|ng |t ourso|vos, just ||ko wo had
dono botoro 0on took ovor. Wo st||| had Vark |orstor work|ng tor us, who had ho|pod out w|th
tho day-to-day stutt s|nco tho 5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb days. |o was ||ko an ass|stant, travo|||ng
around w|th us, organ|s|ng tho hoto|s and transportat|on and whatnot.
Vark had somo phys|ca| prob|om, an o|ophant|as|s-typo ot th|ng |n h|s gro|n. 1ho s|||y th|ng
was, ho'd bo stand|ng thoro and ho'd havo th|s b|g bu|go and |nstoad ot try|ng to h|do |t, ho'd put
a stago pass on |t, so tho t|rst p|aco you'd |ook was down thoro.
l got a ca|| ono day attor tho lonn|o ||no-up had brokon up, to bo to|d that Vark had d|od. 1hoy
cou|dn't t|nd any tam||y, so thoy askod: '0o you want h|s bo|ong|ngs?'
l sa|d: 'lo, l don't want anyth|ng.'
l to|t roa||y bad. Vark was Eng||sh, but ho must havo marr|od an Amor|can, bocauso l th|nk ho
had a son somowhoro. l to|d thom th|s, but l d|dn't know whoro ho was.
Anyway, w|th Vark st||| bo|ng vory much a||vo and ass|st|ng us at tho t|mo, wo doc|dod wo had
no opt|on but to movo out ot tho houso. 1ho Ardons had v|rtua||y ompt|od tho p|aco and tho |oaso
was up. Wo thought, |ot's movo away trom lA a|togothor. lt was tho wrong p|aco tor us thon.
3o wo sh|ppod out to V|am|.
40
BiII gooa to ahita
Wo |ookod around tho p|ano t|y|ng to V|am| and sa|d: 'Why |s thoro nobody on th|s t||ght?'
lt turnod out wo woro t|y|ng |nto a hurr|cano and ovorybody was |oav|ng tho p|aco. Wo thought,
ovorybody's go|ng out and wo aro com|ng |n!
Wo got thoro and ovoryth|ng was boardod up. Wo had rontod 3arry G|bb's houso, but wo
stayod at a hoto| t|rst tor throo days, bocauso |t was dangorous ovorywhoro o|so. 1hoy boardod
tho bu||d|ng up comp|oto|y. Gott|ng roady tor th|s storm you had to t||| your bathtub and you
cou|dn't |oavo tho hoto|. 1hoy had sandw|chos thoro, but ot courso thoy ran out ot tood |n tho ond.
Ono day mo and Goott stood on my ba|cony ||ko two |d|ots and wo saw a|| tho troos sway|ng.
1hon wo hoard: 'You! |oy you! Got back |n tho room! Got ott that ba|cony!'
lt was th|s po||coman.
'You |d|ots, got |n tho room!'
lt was tr|ghton|ng. lt got to a po|nt whoro thoy sa|d: 'low |t's too |ato to |oavo so you got to
stay. Got to sho|tors!'
Wo wont: 'Oh Chr|st. |oro |t comos.'
Wo on|y caught tho odgo ot tho storm. 1horo woro |ampposts b|ow|ng ovor, tratt|c ||ghts t|y|ng
around and troos bo|ng uprootod, but |t d|dn't h|t w|th tho tu|| torco. 3t|||, |t was bad onough to
tr|ghton tho sh|t out ot us.
Wo stayod at 3arry G|bb's houso tor months. |o'd movod |nto anothor p|aco. Wo d|d tho
samo as wo d|d |n lA: wo croatod a rohoarsa| stud|o whoro wo sot a|| tho goar up. Wo had
Cra|g Grubor como |n, a bass p|ayor who usod to bo w|th la|nbow, just ||ko lonn|o. Wo kopt
Goott bocauso wo got on so wo|| w|th h|m that wo tr|od h|m on tho koyboards. |o was ta|r|y now
to |t, but ho was good onough tor what wo wantod: p|ay tho chords and como up w|th somo
|doas as tar as what to p|ay boh|nd tho chords.
Wo wroto moro stutt, w|thout Goozor th|s t|mo. lt was awkward tor mo and 3|||, bocauso wo
woro so usod to work|ng w|th h|m. Evoryth|ng to|t ||ko |t was on a tomporary bas|s, bocauso wo
woro st||| hop|ng that Goozor wou|d como back. lt was hard, but wo carr|od on. Wr|t|ng actua||y
wont roa||y smooth|y and wo soon t|n|shod an a|bum's worth ot songs.
3||| was roa||y booz|ng a |ot. |o had h|s w|to w|th h|m thoro and sho was dr|nk|ng hoav||y as
wo||. 3||| wou|d wako up |n tho morn|ng, a|| br|ght, and ho'd havo a boor trom tho tr|dgo, and
anothor boor and anothor boor. l'd go: '3|||, how many boors havo you had now?'
'Oh, l'vo on|y had two.'
3ut |t wou|d bo about ton by thon. lt bocamo known as 'ho's on|y had two'.
1hroughout tho day ho'd go trom th|s p|oasant phaso to bo|ng roa||y d|sma|, chang|ng as ho
was dr|nk|ng moro. Wo'd avo|d h|m by n|no or ton o'c|ock at n|ght, bocauso ho wou|d got |nto a
roa| down stato ot m|nd and bocomo aggross|vo. Voanwh||o, h|s p|ay|ng was t|no. |o'd dr|nk |n
tho morn|ngs but ho was p|ay|ng a|| r|ght |t ho'd on|y had a tow. lt was attorwards, at n|ght, that
ho'd s||p |nto tho noxt stago. And |t wo doc|dod to havo a day ott, b|oody ho||, ho'd go tor |t a|| tho
way.
As ovor, 3||| was tho ono wo'd p|ay jokos on. On ono occas|on, l got th|s numbor ot A|coho||cs
Anonymous and tho namo ot tho guy |n chargo. l sa|d to 3|||: '3omo tuck|ng b|oko's ca||od up.
You'vo got an |ntorv|ow.'
'|uh?'
'You'vo got an |ntorv|ow. lhono h|m up and ask tor th|s guy's namo, and just say: Can you
ho|p mo, |t's 3||| Ward.''
And ho d|d. 3||| wont: '|o||o? l'm 3||| Ward. Can you ho|p mo, l'vo boon to|d to ca|| you.'
1hoy startod go|ng on about tho prob|oms ot a|coho|. Wo woro |n tho back ||ston|ng |n, and ho
troakod out comp|oto|y. l'd novor soon h|m ||ko that. 1ho phono wont up |n tho a|r and crashod to
tho t|oor. Wo a|| tuckod ott as tast as wo cou|d. |o d|dn't tako |t as a joko at a|| and was |n a
torr|b|o mood tor agos. Wo just kopt out ot tho way tor a good day.
3t|||, |n sp|to ot h|s booz|ng wo gavo h|m tho job ot go|ng down to tho bank to co||oct tho
monoy tor tho wagos tor ovorybody. Wo wantod to g|vo h|m a purposo: '0on't got p|ssod |n tho
morn|ng, 3|||, you'vo got to go to tho bank!'
'Oh, a|| r|ght, yoah, okay.'
|o roa||y took |t sor|ous|y. |o'd bo up |n tho morn|ng and tuck|ng shavo and dross up. |o
bought h|mso|t a br|otcaso and suddon|y ho bocamo th|s bus|noss guy, go|ng down to tho bank
and bocom|ng a|| rospons|b|o. lt was tunny tho way you saw tho chango |n h|m ovory |r|day,
whon ho had to go to co||oct tho monoy.
lonn|o roa||y ||kod 3|||. |owovor, hav|ng lonn|o jo|n changod tho dynam|cs ot tho band and
that attoctod 3|||. |o wasn't 100 por cont happy w|th tho s|tuat|on. |o was accustomod to hav|ng
Ozzy around, as wo a|| woro, but 3||| just cou|dn't got usod to h|m not bo|ng thoro any moro. A|so
l th|nk tho dr|nk|ng d|dn't ho|p. As a mattor ot tact, th|ngs got so bad that ho wou|dn't stay tor vory
much |ongor. 3||| m|ght havo m|ssod Ozzy, but th|s corta|n|y d|dn't moan wo cou|d havo gono tor
somobody that soundod ||ko h|m. 1hon thoro wou|d havo boon cr|t|c|sm a|| ovor tho p|aco, and
bos|dos, thoro's on|y ono Ozzy. Wo wont w|th lonn|o bocauso wo ||kod tho way ho workod and
wo ||kod h|s vo|co. 1ho mus|c took a d|ttoront turn attor ho jo|nod us. |or loovoo ooo lo|| wo
woro wr|t|ng tor a s|ngor who was so d|ttoront that |t oponod moro doors. Whon you work w|th
Ozzy tor ton yoars you know rough|y what ho's go|ng to s|ng and how ho |s go|ng to do that.
You'ro tam|||ar w|th h|s capab|||t|os. Wo d|dn't know what lonn|o's capab|||t|os woro and |t was
a mattor ot push|ng a|| tho t|mo, to soo what ho cou|d do. lt was now b|ood |n tho band, l cou|d
p|ay d|ttoront chords, |t gavo mo othor p|acos to go mus|c-w|so. And lonn|o roa||y oncouragod
mo to p|ay so|os, to broak out a b|t moro. lt wasn't ||ko l had a |ack ot so|os |n tho o|d days, but
Ozzy wou|d novor say: 'Why don't you put a so|o thoro?'
|o wasn't that |nvo|vod |n |t. Or maybo ho was tor a b|t and thon h|s attont|on span wou|d go
and ho'd bo ott. |o d|dn't put much |n tho pot. 1hat wasn't h|s tau|t. |o just wasn't that mus|ca|.
|o cou|dn't p|ay an |nstrumont so ho wou|dn't know what chords to go to, whoroas w|th lonn|o
wo woro work|ng moro ||ko a band, bocauso |t you sat down w|th h|m, ho'd havo a gu|tar as wo||,
or a bass, and ho'd go: 'What about th|s chord?'
'Oh yoah . . . yoah!'
And thon wo'd |mprovo on that. lonn|o had th|s hugo |nvo|vomont, wh|ch was groat.
Ozzy wou|d s|ng w|th tho r|tt. 1ust ||ston to 'lron Van' and you'|| catch my dr|tt: h|s voca| mo|ody
||no cop|os tho mo|ody ot tho mus|c. 1horo was noth|ng wrong w|th that, but lonn|o ||kod s|ng|ng
across tho r|tt |nstoad ot w|th |t, como up w|th a mo|ody that was d|ttoront trom that ot tho mus|c,
wh|ch mus|ca||y opons a |ot moro doors. l don't want to sound ||ko l'm knock|ng Ozzy, but
lonn|o's approach oponod up a now way tor mo to th|nk, oh yoah, l can go horo trom that.
lonn|o brought qu|to a |ot as tar as tho sound ot h|s vo|co goos as wo||. |o know what ho
wantod and ho cou|d to|| us |n mus|c torms: 'Why don't wo try an A thoro?'
Ozzy cou|dn't, ho wou|dn't know what an A or a 0 was. At bost ho m|ght go: 'Wo'|| nood
somoth|ng o|so thoro.'
'Any |doas?'
'lot roa||y. What about, orm . . .'
Wo a|so bocamo moro protoss|ona|. lonn|o a|ways wantod to mako ovoryth|ng bottor, ho
a|ways pushod, both on stago as wo|| as ott. lt was good tor us, bocauso |t pushod a|| ot us. Ovor
tho yoars wo probab|y got a ||tt|o b|t |azy and ro||od too much on tho th|ngs wo know, but lonn|o
cha||ongod us. 1hat way wo bocamo moro ot a band aga|n: wo got t|ghtor, try|ng to protoct tho
band, protoct what wo had. And wo bo||ovod |n what wo had.
47
Eoavon and EoII
Wo rocordod loovoo ooo lo|| at tho Cr|tor|a 3tud|os |n V|am|, tho samo p|aco whoro wo had
rocordod 7ocbolco| Ecstosy a coup|o ot yoars oar||or. |or tho t|rst t|mo s|nco Vostot o Roo|lty
wo had somobody o|so produc|ng |t, wh|ch was a groat ho|p. Vart|n 3|rch took a |ot ot tho stra|n
ott mo. |o had dono a tow good a|bums by b|g namo bands a|roady, ||ko la|nbow. lonn|o
rocommondod h|m, so wo thought wo'd try h|m.
Wo woro back |n ||or|da, wh|ch moant thoro woro drugs ga|oro. A no|ghbour noxt to 3arry
G|bb's houso had constant supp||os ot coko ||ko you wou|dn't bo||ovo. l'd v|s|t h|m and ho wou|d
havo pounds ot |t |n a b|g p||o on tho tab|o.
'|oro, ho|p yourso|t.'
lt was unbo||ovab|o. |oro wo woro at tour o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng: 'Can wo just pop around tor
a b|t?'
And ho wou|d bo up!
'Yoah, just pop around.'
Wo just wont ovor tho top bocauso |t was thoro, on our doorstop. lt d|dn't stop our croat|vo
ju|cos t|ow|ng.Wo'vo a|ways had a t|tth mombor, a prosonco, a gu|d|ng ||ght |t you ||ko, that |od
us |n tho r|ght d|roct|on. lt was thoro whon wo woro |n V|am| at 3arry's houso and wo wroto '0|o
Young'. ln that song thoro's a broak. ln tho part whoro lonn|o s|ngs 'd|o young', |t drops down to
a qu|ot passago. At that t|mo lonn|o had novor dono stutt ||ko that, w|th a drop-down, |t was
a|ways out and out, go! l sa|d to h|m: 'Wo'vo dono |t tor yoars |n a |ot ot tho 3abbath stutt, wo put
a qu|ot b|t |n tho m|dd|o ot |t.'
And lonn|o sa|d: 'Oh, yoah, |t works!'
lt was anothor |oarn|ng oxpor|onco tor h|m, soo|ng how wo wroto and what you can do,
somowhoro o|so to go, a d|ttoront aroa. l to|t l know whoro to go on thoso th|ngs. l th|nk wo a||
d|d, wo a|| to|t: th|s |s tho t|tth mombor gu|d|ng us. '0|o Young' |s a wo||-structurod song. lt was
tho socond s|ng|o, attor 'loon Kn|ghts', and to th|s day |t goos down roa||y wo||.
'Ch||dron Ot 1ho 3oa' was tho ono that wo had a|roady dono whon Ozzy was st||| thoro. l st|||
havo a vors|on w|th h|m s|ng|ng on |t somowhoro, w|th a d|ttoront |yr|c and a tota||y d|ttoront voca|
mo|ody to what lonn|o d|d w|th |t. Whon wo rocordod tho now vors|on, l wantod |t to sound ||ko
ga||oy s|avos row|ng a b|g sh|p. ln my hoad l cou|d hoar th|s monk-typo chant, so wo sa|d to tho
guy at tho stud|o: 'Anywhoro wo can h|ro somo monks?'
|o phonod around, try|ng to t|nd somo monks. lt was a b|t ot a joko, roa||y. 3ut ho camo back
a|| sor|ous and sa|d: 'Wo||, wo can on|y got ono monk . . . but ho can ovordub!'
'Ah!'
l got h|m to como |n and, 'oo-oooo-ooo', |ot h| m do h|s chant. Wo woro |n st|tchos. Wo had
|mag|nod th|s who|o cho|r and wo got ono monk.
3ut ho cou|d ovordub.
Whon wo woro |n lA wo had thoso 1vC tapo mach|nos that had bu||t-|n m|crophonos so wo
cou|d rocord whatovor wo woro do|ng, whorovor. Wo woro |n tho houso and wo just jammod
around. l had th|s ||tt|o amp, just a tow watts, and wo had a ||tt|o drum k|t, and wo must havo
p|ayod '|oavon And |o||' tor agos. Wo roa||y ||kod |t. lonn|o was p|ay|ng b|ts ot bass on |t at
t|rst and thon wo had Goott tako ovor. lonn|o wou|d s|ng somoth|ng and that wou|d g|vo you an
|doa whoro to go noxt. Wo just bu||t tho song up, jamm|ng ||ko that.
ln V|am|, rocord|ng wont wo||, but wo wantod Goozor back, so l ca||od h|m. |o had sortod h|s
stutt out by thon, so wo arrangod tor h|m to como |n and p|ay tho bass on tho a|bum. Cra|g
Grubor had put tho bass parts down, but wo took a|| that ott w|thout |ott|ng Goozor ||ston to thom
t|rst. l was protty cont|dont that ho wou|d ||ko tho now mus|c, bocauso wo otton to|t tho samo
about stutt and l roa||y ||kod our now songs. As a mattor ot tact, ho was knockod out whon ho
hoard thom. As soon as Goozor p|ayod h|s parts on |t, |t a|| camo back to 'th|s |s tho wa|| ot
sound' th|ng, |t mado tho mus|c como back |n shapo aga|n. Othor bass p|ayors w||| just p|ay
somoth|ng ||ko 'doom doom doom', wh||o Goozor w||| bond h|s str|ngs and go 'do-ommm', to put
moro aggross|on |nto |t. |o's just d| ttoront trom any othor bass p|ayor l'vo ovor hoard. lt workod
out roa||y good.
|av|ng Vart|n 3|rch thoro provontod mo trom bo|ng thoro a|| tho t|mo and gott|ng ovor-
|nvo|vod |n ovoryth|ng. 0o|ng |t a|| by myso|t |n tho past, l cou|d go on ond|oss|y and just p|ay on
and on, unt|| l d|dn't know what was good and what wasn't any moro. 3ut w|th Vart|n |t was:
'||no! Wo'vo got |t!'
'Ah. Wo||, l'|| just do ono moro tako.'
'lo. lt's a|| r|ght. Wo'vo got |t.'
||m draw|ng tho ||no was good. And wo probab|y savod a ||tt|o monoy that way, too.
Wo managod to tr|ghton tho ||to out ot Vart|n. |o was tough guy, but at tho samo t|mo ho was
a ||tt|o b|t norvous. |o d|d karato and had a b|ack bo|t |n th|s and that, but ho cou|d bo got to.
And wo know how to got to h|m.
Wo d|scovorod that ho was roa||y tr|ghtonod ot b|ack mag|c, so wo mado |t worso tor h|m. l
got a two|vo-|nch p|oco ot ba|sa wood and l carvod |t |nto tho ott|gy ot a man. l wrappod |t |n
b|ack c|oth and put |t |n my br|otcaso. l got my caso out protond|ng to |ook tor somoth|ng, and l
pu||od th|s th|ng out so ho cou|d soo tho ||tt|o t|guro.
'What's that!'
l wont: 'Oh.'
l covorod |t up qu|ck|y and c|osod tho caso.
'What |s |t?'
'lt's noth|ng. 0on't worry about |t.'
3ut ho d|d worry. |o sa|d to lonn|o: '1ony, ho's got somoth|ng |n h|s caso. lt |ooks ||ko a ||tt|o
voodoo do|| or somoth|ng!'
Ot courso lonn|o was |n on |t, so ho p|ayod h|m up somo moro.
Attor tho othors had gono, Vart|n wou|d start ask|ng quost|ons. l wou|d go: 'Vart|n, roa||y . . .
lt's my own porsona| th|ng.'
'Yoah yoah, what . . . What |s that th|ng |n your caso?'
'l don't want to ta|k about |t.'
|o roa||y got workod up about th|s th|ng. 1hon ovontua||y ho thought |t was a voodoo do|| to
st|ck p|ns | n and tho do|| was h|m. |o sa|d: 'l'm too||ng roa||y strango |ato|y. You havon't sort ot . .
.?'
|o thought that l was do|ng somoth|ng to h|m and l wound h|m up somo moro. l sa|d: 'You'ro
not too||ng . . . Aro you too||ng a b|t wo|rd today, Vart|n?'
'Why! Why? Why shou|d l? What's happonod! What aro you do|ng?'
|o bu||t tho who|o th|ng up h|mso|t, and l just oncouragod h|m. l wou|d'vo |ot |t go but ho just
kopt prodd|ng mo.
'Aro you |nto th|s b|ack mag|c th|ng?'
'l don't want to ta|k about |t!'
And thon wo'd mako stutt up. l'd say to Goozor, just |oud onough so ho'd hoar: 'Aro you go|ng
to go to tho . . . moot|ng, tomorrow?'
Vart|n: 'What moot|ng?'
'loth|ng, Vart|n, |t's just . . . just . . . you know . . .'
|o took tho who|o scam hook, ||no and s|nkor. Wo p|ssod ourso|vos |augh|ng but ho was |n a
torr|b|o stato. '1ust to|| mo a coup|o ot ||tt|o th|ngs.'
'Why, what . . .?'
'1ust to|| mo what happons. What do you do at thoso moot|ngs?'
'Oh, Vart|n, wo can't . . . |t's socrot, |t's a|| vory hush hush, wo can't ta|k about |t.'
l |ovod |t. l roa||y ||vod on |t. l was |ook|ng torward to go|ng |n tho noxt day, just to w|nd h|m up
somo moro. Vart|n changod trom bo|ng th|s cont|dont chap to bo|ng a norvous wrock, go|ng:
'What's happon|ng, what's go|ng on?'
'loth|ng . . . noth|ng.'
l got tho do|| out aga|n and ho sa|d: 'You'ro st|ck|ng p|ns |n |t! lt's mo, |sn't |t? 1hat's mo!'
'What?'
'1hat do||! 1hat's mo, l'vo soon |t!'
|antast|c, |t was a roa| gom and |t |astod tho ont|ro rocord|ng soss|on. Wo novor to|d h|m.
|o'|| road th|s book and go: '1ho bastard!'
Wo usod Vart|n on tho noxt a|bum, Vob Ro|os, as wo||.
And carr|od on . . .
At a corta|n po|nt our t|mo was up at Cr|tor|a 3tud|os. Wo noodod a broak anyway. Vart|n
corta|n|y d|d, bocauso wo had dr|von h|m |oony. 3o wo camo back homo to Eng|and.
l was do|ng a tax th|ng, whoro l noodod to stay out ot Eng|and tor a yoar. l m|sca|cu|atod and
camo back a coup|o ot days too oar|y. Vy accountant sa|d: 'Got out, got out!'
'What do you moan, got out?'
'1ust got on a p|ano somowhoro. Go to 1orsoy!'
l wont to 1orsoy and Goott camo w|th mo. l bookod th|s Grand |oto| bocauso |t was tho
b|ggost hoto| thoro, so l thought that was tho p|aco tor us. Wo wont down to tho bar tor a dr|nk
and l got p|ssod as a parrot. l was ta|k|ng to tho barman and ho sa|d: '|ow aro tho rooms?'
l warb|od: 'Ah don't ||ko mah room.'
|o sa|d: 'Why don't you chango |t thon? 1a|k to tho managor.'
|o got tho managor |n.
'Ahh don' ||ko mah roommm.'
|o was go|ng on about chang|ng my room and l was s|tt|ng thoro dr|nk|ng and oat|ng a|| thoso
o||vos. l ato so many o||vos thoy mado mo throw up r|ght thoro |n tho bar. Good th|ng l d|dn't got
s|ck a|| ovor th|s managor botoro ho agrood to g|vo mo anothor room. |o sa|d: 'Yoah, no
prob|om. Wo'vo got a groat room.'
l d|dn't ovon got what ho had sa|d.
|o wont: 'lt's got o|octr|c curta|ns.'
And ho carr|od on about |t hav|ng th|s and that, but l cou|dn't tako |t a|| |n. l just hoard: 'lt's a b|g
p|ush room.'
3o l sa|d: 'Yoah, l'|| havo that!'
l d|dn't too| vory wo|| thon and wont to bod. At o|ght o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng tho phono rang and
thoy to|d mo my now room was roady. l to|t droadtu| and roa||y d|dn't tancy chang|ng rooms at
that po|nt, but l to|t ob||god to bocauso ot tho o||vo th|ng tho prov|ous ovon|ng, so l d|d. l wont to
th|s othor room and |t was roa||y n|co. lt had th|s b|g, round watorbod and o|octr|c curta|ns and
ovoryth|ng: roa||y p|ush. l phonod Goott and sa|d: 'Como down and wo'|| havo broaktast |n my
now room togothor.'
3o ho d|d. Wo stoppod out ot tho door attorwards and thoro woro t|vo ma|ds outs|do, a||
|augh|ng.
'|uck|ng ho||. What's tho mattor w|th thom?'
l d|dn't roa||so thoy had put mo |n tho br|da| su|to. 1hoy thought wo woro a coup|o ot gays.
'Ah, no!'
|rom thon on l'd say to Goott: 'l'|| moot you downsta|rs. 0on't como to my room. Wo'|| havo
broaktast downsta|rs.'
|rom 1orsoy |t was on to lar|s, as l st||| cou|dn't go back to Eng|and. 1ho rost ot tho band t|ow
|n as wo||. Wo bookod 3tud|o |orbor ovor thoro and wo camo up w|th tho |ast song ot tho a|bum,
'loon Kn|ghts'. Wo to|t that wo noodod a tast numbor ||ko th|s to ba|anco out tho s|owor songs
on tho a|bum. l t|nd that wr|t|ng tast songs |s d|tt|cu|t. l can wr|to s|ow songs or m|d-tompo onos
unt|| thoy'ro com|ng out ot my oars, but tast songs l roa||y havo to th|nk a ||tt|o b|t moro about. l
supposo that's bocauso ot tho way l'vo a|ways dono stutt w|th 3abbath: most ot tho th|ngs woro
p|oddy.
Attor lar|s wo t|na||y wont to london. Wo d|d ovordubs and tho t|na| m|x at tho 1own |ouso
3tud|os. 1hat's whoro l sot 3||| on t|ro. Wo mado loovoo ooo lo|| and tor a tow horr|b|o
momonts 3||| got a ||tt|o too c|oso to ho|| thoro . . .
48
|gnition
l had sot 3||| Ward on t|ro botoro, but th|s t|mo th|ngs got out ot hand. Wh||o ho was ro|||ng
around tho stud|o how||ng, l was |augh|ng my hoad ott. 3ut whon ho cont|nuod scroam|ng and
wr|th|ng tho horr|b|o truth sank |n: my drummor was go|ng up |n t|amos!
lt a|| startod as a party b|t. 3||| and l had jokod around a tow t|mos botoro, whoro l wou|d ho|d a
||ghtor to h|s board and tho th|ng wou|d burn tor maybo a socond. lt was a|ways good tor a |augh,
so whon wo woro do|ng somo work on tho loovoo ooo lo|| a|bum at tho 1own |ouso 3tud|os
and ho wa|kod |n, l sa|d to h|m: '3|||, can l sot t|ro to you aga|n?'
'lot just now, l'm busy.'
'Oh, okay.'
And l comp|oto|y torgot about |t. A coup|o ot hours |ator 3||| camo ovor wh||o l was do|ng th|ngs
on my gu|tar and ho sa|d: 'look, l'm go|ng back to tho hoto|, so do you st||| want to sot t|ro to mo
or what?'
Vart|n 3|rch, tho producor, cou|dn't bo||ovo |t. |o wont: 'Oh, b||moy.'
As 3||| soomod so koon on do|ng th|s, l doc|dod to mako a b|t ot a product|on ot |t and dosod
h|m |n th|s stutt w|th wh|ch stud|o tochn|c|ans c|oan tho|r tapo hoads. ||s c|othos just absorbod |t.
l ||t h|m and ho wont up ||ko a bomb.
'Whoosh!'
|o to|| to tho t|oor and l kopt pour|ng on tho tapo-hoad c|oanor. l thought ho was jok|ng, but ho
was actua||y ab|azo. 1ho t|amos consumod h|s trousors and thoy mo|tod h|s socks. |o ondod up
w|th th|rd-dogroo burns to h|s |ogs.
3|rch rushod h|m to tho hosp|ta|. And thon 3|||'s mothor phonod mo up: 'You barmy bastard . .
.'
What sho ca||od mo ovor tho phono pract|ca||y s|ngod my oar. ||na||y sho sa|d: '3||| m|ght
havo to havo h|s |og ott!'
3|oody ho||, l to|t so bad l d|dn't know what to do. 3ut ho was okay, a|though ho actua||y d|d got
burn marks down h|s |ogs. lot too |ong ago l sa|d to h|m: 'You st||| got thoso scars on you, 3|||?'
'Yoah, l'vo st||| got thom, yoah.'
l m|ght havo k|||od h|m, wh|ch |s a ||tt|o ovor tho top tor an |nnocont party b|t. 3o l'vo not sot t|ro
to 3||| s|nco thon.
40
Vinny aaya AIoha
3||| was dr|nk|ng |n tota| oxcoss, ovon on tho g|gs, wh|ch ho novor usod to do. You d|dn't not|co |t
too much wh||o ho was p|ay|ng. |o was just gott|ng moro aggross|vo and angry, and phys|ca||y
ho was gott|ng |n a bad way as wo||. |o was constant|y hav|ng ||tt|o prob|oms, pan|c attacks and
stutt. lt got to a|| ot us, but wo d|dn't havo to say anyth|ng to h|m, bocauso ono day ho just
d|sappoarod. lt was 21 August, 1080. Wo woro duo to do a g|g |n 0onvor, but ho got abso|uto|y
|og|oss, got |n h|s bus w|th h|s brothor 1|m dr|v|ng, and just c|oarod ott. Wo d|dn't ovon know ho'd
gono unt|| somobody to|d us: '3||| has |ott.'
'lardon?'
'3||| has |ott!'
'lo!'
|o novor sa|d goodbyo, noth|ng, ho was just gono. l had ta|kod to 3||| a |ot, but |t shockod mo
whon ho |ott. 1hat roa||y caught mo by surpr|so. And wo woro |n sh|t stroot. Wo had to canco| tho
g|g. lonn|o was concornod bocauso ho roa||y ||kod 3|||: 'Wo'vo got to got h|m back!'
Whon wo t|na||y roachod 3|||, wo hoard that ho d|dn't want to do |t any moro. Whon wo
rocordod tho a|bum ho ||kod |t, but tho tour|ng s|do roa||y got to h|m. Wo had to go out and provo
ourso|vos aga|n, ho cou|dn't hand|o that and ho d|dn't want to know any moro.
||n|shod!
3o wo had to t|nd somobody to rop|aco h|m. |or mo that was awtu| bocauso l hadn't workod
w|th anothor drummor s|nco wo|| botoro 3|ack 3abbath had ovon startod. l ro||od on 3||| a |ot. Wo
had p|ayod togothor tor a hundrod yoars!
Wo had a hugo opon-a|r tost|va| |n |awa|| com|ng up wh|ch wo woro hoad||n|ng, so wo woro
pan|ck|ng: 'Chr|st, what aro wo go|ng to do?'
Wo had got somo tapos trom d|ttoront drummors, and ono ot thom was v|nny App|co's.
lonn|o had hoard about v|nny, so ho sa|d: 'lot's got |n touch w|th h|m.'
Wo ||tora||y had a day and a ha|t to try v|nny out and agroo whothor ho was go|ng to bo tho
ono or not. lt ho was good, ho was go|ng to p|ay |n |awa|| w|th us, |t not, wo had to canco| tho
g|g. And ho was good.
|o camo w|th th|s t|ny ||tt|o k|t and ho was p|ay|ng away, but l was usod to 3||| w|th h|s hugo k|t.
l thought, oh, ho's on|y us|ng that r|ght now tor tho rohoarsa|. Wo wont to |awa|| and l wa|kod on
stago whoro wo had th|s b|g drum r|sor tor 3||| to uso, and on |t was th|s samo t|ny ||tt|o k|t. lt was
||ko a k|d's sot. l thought, b|oody ho||, you aro novor go|ng to bo ab|o to hoar h|m! l roa||y wont to
b|ts backstago, pac|ng up and down, and lonn|o sa|d: 'lt'|| bo a|| r|ght.'
l sa|d: 'lo! l'vo novor p|ayod w|th anothor drummor tor a|| thoso yoars!'
l was abso|uto|y torr|t|od. Wo wont on stago and |t just |ookod tunny, w|th a b|g wa|| ot amps, a
b|g drum r|sor, and thon th|s puny ||tt|o k|t. 3ut, b||moy, ho p|ayod thom groat!
v|nny wasn't 100 por cont suro ot a|| tho songs, so ho had wr|tton out a|| thoso notos. lt startod
ra|n|ng and a|| tho wr|t|ng got smudgod, so ho cou|dn't road |t any moro. |o d|dn't know whoro
wo woro. 3ut ho d|d roa||y good.
And, yos, wo hoard h|m as wo||.
1hat g|g was roa| pan|c stat|ons to mo. 3omo |d|ot t|rod a roa| mortar bomb. Wo hoard th|s
'shhhhhhhhhh, boom!' lt oxp|odod backstago. luck||y |t was a roa| b|g aroa. lono ot us got hurt
and l don't th|nk anybody o|so d|d o|thor, but |t croatod a b|g b|oody ho|o. l st||| can't bo||ovo
somobody wou|d do that. And whoro d|d thoy got ono ot thom trom? lrotty sor|ous stutt!
lt m|ght'vo boon Ozzy actua||y.
V|ssod!
1horo's qu|to a d|ttoronco botwoon tho way v|nny and 3||| p|ay drums. v|nny camo |n w|th a||
thoso tast ro||s, wh|ch 3||| d|dn't p|ay at a||. 3||| was trom tho 1ohn 3onham and Cozy lowo||
camp. |o was good, but ho had h|s own sty|o, ho croatod h|s un|quo th|ng. vory unorthodox. 3|||
wou|dn't p|ay a stra|ghttorward boat, ho a|ways put somo ||tt|o b|ts |n, ||ko a porcuss|on|st. |o
wou|d hoar thoso symphon|os |n h|s hoad and try to p|ay ||ko ho had o|ght hands. Wo'd say: '3|||,
you know, you'vo on|y got two arms.'
3ut that was 3|||. |o'd ||ston to tho songs and soo a|| th|s dramat|c stutt |n thom, t|mpan|s and
a|| that, so ho'd th|nk moro porcuss|on-w|so. v|nny |s just an out and out drummor, ho'|| p|ay tho
boat torovor. |o'|| a|so do thoso ||tt|o odd ro||s, but v|nny |s a roa||y proc|so drummor, whoroas
w|th 3||| |t was touch and go. 3||| wou|d do th|ngs and somot|mos thoy wou|d como ott and
somot|mos thoy wou|dn't.
v|nny's drumm|ng brought somoth|ng o|so to tho mus|c. lt mado |t t|ghtor, |t mado |t moro
proc|so, probab|y ovon moro ma|nstroam. Whoro 3||| d|d somoth|ng ||ko 'boom-tsj-pa-pa-pa',
v|nny wou|d s|mp|y go 'boom-tsj-boom-tsj-boom-tsj'. loss p|aytu|, but moro proc|so. And
probab|y w|th |oss charactor, bocauso 3||| had dovo|opod h|s own sty|o and |t was - 3|||. You
o|thor ||ko |t or you don't. And l ||ko |t.
ln p|ay|ng w|th v|nny l had to rotra|n my m|nd as wo||. l thought, Chr|st, ho's roa||y good, but ho
cannot bo too proc|so on tho o|d songs, ho's got to bo a b|t |a|d back. 3|ack 3abbath was novor
oxact on tho t|m|ng. W|th 3||| wo wou|d start ott |n ono tompo and ond up |n anothor, | t was a
natura| too| and 3||| had that too|. l had to go through ovoryth|ng w|th v|nny, as l |ator havo w|th
ovory drummor, try|ng to coax h|m |nto p|ay|ng tho o|d songs as thoy woro. 3ut t|rst th|ngs t|rst. l
sa|d to h|m: 'You'vo got to got a b|ggor k|t |t you'ro go|ng to bo w|th th|s band!'
|o novor torgot that. |o has th|s hugo k|t now, w|th drums a|| ovor tho p|aco. l sa|d to h|m:
'|uck|ng ho||, v|nny, havo you got onough drums thoro?'
And ho sa|d: 'Wo||, you startod |t!'
1horo was no answor to that!
50
Cotting BIack and BIuo
Wo startod our |oavon and |o|| tour |n Gormany |n Apr|| 1080. Wo wou|d p|ng-pong botwoon
Gormany and tho UK tor a wh||o, botoro mak|ng our way to tho 3tatos |n 1u|y. lonn|o t|ashod h|s
0ov|| s|gn a|| ovor tho p|aco, tho ono w|th tho outstrotchod t|rst and tourth t|ngors, wh||o ho|d|ng
tho socond and th|rd down w|th tho thumb. |o gots crod|tod tor |nvont|ng |t, but l'vo got a p|cturo
ot Goozor trom many yoars botoro do|ng just that. 3ut lonn|o brought |t moro to ||ght and, |n so
do|ng, mado |t h|s own.
Our product|on toaturod a cross. Wo had th|s th|ng bu||t that workod o|octron|ca||y. lt t|ashod
||ghts a|| around |t and thoy changod |n d|ttoront soquoncos, and whon wo p|ayod '|oavon And
|o||' tho cross was supposod to burst |nto t|amos. lt hard|y ovor workod. Ono c|ass|c momont
camo whon wo woro p|ay|ng Vad|son 3quaro Gardon. lonn|o d|d th|s b|g bu||d-up, say|ng to
tho aud|onco: 'l want you a|| to concontrato on tho cross!'
|o was go|ng on and on about |t.
'Koop concontrat|ng!'
|o got to tho croscondo and |t was: 'Ono, two, throo!' and tho cross wont: 'lttttt.'
l|ko a b|oody ||tt|o spark|or. And lonn|o wont: 'Wo||, l guoss you'ro not concontrat|ng onough!'
lt |ookod good whon |t burst |nto t|amos, but that n|ght was ono ot thoso 3p|na| 1ap momonts.
And that happonod moro otton than not.
3y th|s t| mo wo had 3andy loar|man manag|ng us. |o'd boon attor us trom tho t|mo wo
partod ways w|th 0on Ardon. Wo had nowhoro o|so to go. 3andy |ookod ||ko a h|kor. |o had a
cap on h|s hoad and a bag on h|s back. l'vo novor soon h|m drossod up. |o was a|| r|ght at t|rst,
but ho soon turnod out to bo a b|oody joko.
ln tho 3tatos ho put us on tour togothor w|th 3|uo Oystor Cu|t. 3ocauso ho had managod thom
tor a |ong t|mo, ho tavourod thom ovor us. 1hat's why wo d|d tho 3|ack and 3|uo tour, whoro thoy
wou|d c|oso ono n|ght and wo wou|d c|oso tho othor. Wo hadn't boon on a co-hoad||nor botoro,
bocauso wo'd a|ways had bands support|ng us. lt soomod strango w|th thom hoad||n|ng, a|so
bocauso thoy woron't that b|g. l supposo 3andy wantod to mako thom b|g by putt|ng thom |n that
pos|t|on.
lt was a d|sastor bocauso thoy usod th|s b|g b|oody t|brog|ass Godz|||a th|ng on stago and |t
took thom torovor to broak |t down. On tho n|ghts wo to||owod thom, wo woro backstago an hour
and a ha|t botoro wo cou|d go on. 1ho k|ds wou|d got borod wa|t|ng, and b|amo us tor |t. And
thon wo'd go |nto ovort|mo w|th tho un|ons. lt was a b|t unta|r.
3andy d|dn't manago us tor vory |ong. Wo t|rod h|m. |o ondod up gott|ng pa|d ott, so ho
wa|kod away w|th a |ump ot cash. Wo just carr|od on w|th Vark |orstor aga|n.Wo woro do|ng b|g
shows and |t was d|tt|cu|t tor lonn|o to go out and stand |n tront ot poop|o who had soon Ozzy |n
that spot tor ton yoars. 3omo ot tho k|ds hatod |t and thoy'd shout: 'Ozzy, Ozzy!'
3ut ovontua||y lonn|o won thom ovor.
Wh||o wo woro tour|ng loovoo ooo lo||, lEV3 ro|oasod Llvo ot Lost, an a|bum ot stutt wo
had rocordod back |n 107b. lt was a latr|ck Voohan th|ng. Wo woro vory upsot about |t, but |t
was at lo. b |n tho charts by tho t|mo wo got an |njunct|on to stop |t. 1ho sound was awtu| on |t
and |t |ntortorod w|th what wo woro do|ng w|th lonn|o. 1ho |njunct|on co||apsod on |t and th|ngs
woro sortod out |ator. ln 2002 |t was ro|oasod aga|n, th|s t|mo undor tho namo Post Llvos.
On 2b 3optombor 1080, wh||o wo woro tour|ng Amor|ca, 1ohn 3onham d|od. 1hat h|t mo
roa||y hard, but l don't th|nk anybody who know 1ohn cou|d soo h|m go|ng any othor way. |o
|ovod to do ovoryth|ng to oxcoss. ||m and Ko|th Voon woro much tho samo. A b|t |oony, good
tr|onds as wo||, and thoy d|d burn tho cand|o at both onds as much as thoy cou|d. 1hoy got a b|t
mad, you novor know what thoy'd do noxt. l a|ways thought, thoy can't koop on do|ng |t a|| tho
t|mo, thoy'vo got to h|t a wa|| somowhoro, thoro |s a downs|do to |t. 3ut whon l hoard, |t mado mo
th|nk about tho vu|norab|||ty ot ovorybody. Chr|st, who's noxt? 1hat cou|d happon to us! lt
knockod ovorybody tor a |oop, |t was roa||y dopross|ng. 1ohn had such a |ot go|ng tor h|m.
About two wooks |ator, |n tho Vocca Arona |n V||waukoo, somobody |n tho aud|onco throw
th|s b|g mota| cross at Goozor and |t bouncod ott h|s gu|tar and h|t h|m |n tho taco. 1hoy probab|y
thought, oh, ho'|| ||ko th|s, a prosont, l'|| throw |t on stago tor h|m. loop|o who do stutt ||ko that aro
|d|ots. lt |t had h|t h|m |n tho hoad |t cou|d'vo b||ndod or ovon k|||od h|m.
Wo wa|kod ott stago and bocauso most ot tho aud|onco had no |doa about what had
happonod a r|ot broko out. 1hoy woro t|ght|ng, broak|ng cha|rs up, throw|ng p|ocos about, |t was
mayhom. 3ut what can you do? Wo cou|d hard|y wa|k back on, go|ng: '|o||o, wo'ro back aga|n,
ovorybody qu|oton down.'
ln lovombor wo startod our t|rst 1apanoso tour w| th datos |n 1okyo, Kyoto and Osaka. l got
tood po|son|ng b|g t|mo. lt must havo boon tho sush|. l was on stago, ran around |n c|rc|os and
just passod out, bang! 1hoy got mo to hosp|ta| and thoy |njoctod th|s stutt |nto mo. lt was tho
b|ggost syr|ngo l'vo ovor soon. God knows what |t was, but |t roa||y workod. l shou|d havo got a
|oad ot that, roa||y: 'Can l havo somo to go?'
Wh||o l got t|oorod by sush|, Goozor managod to do |t to h|mso|t. |o troakod out ono n|ght and
ho broko tho ond ot h|s t|ngor. lt must havo boon tho sako. ||m and lonn|o usod to go to tho
bar, havo too much to dr|nk and got |nto a squabb|o among thomso|vos. Ot courso tho noxt day
thoy wou|d both rogrot |t. Goozor wou|d otton got carr|od away, so broak|ng h|s t|ngor probab|y
happonod that way. l wasn't thoro whon |t happonod. l just hoard |ator that tho noxt coup|o ot g|gs
woro canco||od bocauso ot that. Goozor had a sp||nt on |t tor a wh||o. |or onco l wasn't tho on|y
ono doa||ng w|th damagod t|ngors . . .
51
NoIinda
l mot Vo||nda |n a c|ub |n 0a||as attor wo p|ayod thoro |n tho summor ot 1080. 3ho was an
Amor|can who d|d a ||tt|o b|t ot modo|||ng. l startod soo|ng hor, wo wont togothor tor qu|to a wh||o
and sho camo on tho road w|th us. 1ho band must havo thought, what |s ho do|ng now? 3ocauso
sho camo a|ong to Austra||a, 1apan, low Zoa|and, just ovorywhoro.
Ono day whon wo woro |n lA, wo doc|dod to got marr|od at our hoto|, tho 3unsot Varqu|s. l
was do|ng Ouaa|udos and a|| sorts ot b|oody stutt, so l was on anothor p|anot roa||y. l ca||od up a
v|car and sa|d: 'Can you como ovor and marry us?'
|o d|d and |t was s|mp|o: s|gn thoso torms and ott you go. 1hon tho v|car sa|d: 'Who's tho
w|tnoss?'
l sa|d: 'l havon't got a w|tnoss.'
'Wo||, you nood a w|tnoss.'
1horo happonod to bo a b|g toddy boar |n tho room and l sa|d: '1horo's tho w|tnoss r|ght
thoro.'
|o wont: 'A|| r|ght.'
And that was |t. |o novor sa|d: 'You can't do that.'
lt actua||y stood up |n court. Whon |t camo to tho d|vorco, l sa|d: 'Wo d|dn't roa||y havo a
w|tnoss.'
1hoy sa|d: 'Wo||, who was tho w|tnoss thon?'
'l had a toddy boar as a w|tnoss.'
1hat wont down wo||. 3ut |t d|dn't soom to mako a d|ttoronco.
3o that was |t. Wo got marr|od at tho 3unsot Varqu|s.
Attor a|| tho tours w|th 0|o wo movod back to Eng|and. 1hat's whoro Vo||nda gavo b|rth to our
boaut|tu| ch||d. 1on| was born |n 1088. Wo had somo happy t|mos, but thon l tound out Vo||nda
had prob|oms. 3ho wou|d go to shops and como back w|th a|| thoso drossos w|th tho |abo|s st|||
on thom. 3ho wasn't pay|ng tor thom and l st||| don't know why. lt wasn't a |ack ot monoy, l was
roa||y ombarrassod bocauso l know poop|o |n tho shops. lorhaps sho thought l wou|d p|ck up a||
tho b|||s. Ot courso |t put a stra|n on tho marr|ago: wo had a |ot ot rows. 3ho wou|d t|y ott tho
hand|o and got roa||y nasty. ln tho ond sho wont back to 0a||as w|th 1on|. Whon wo woro sp||tt|ng
up my accountant phonod mo trom london and sa|d: 'What tho tuck |s go|ng on? l'vo got
$100,000 worth ot b|||s on your Amor|can Expross Card, and l'vo got th|s othor b||| on your
VastorCard. |ow much monoy cou|d you bo spond|ng |n a month?'
'What aro you ta|k|ng about? l don't spond that sort ot monoy!'
'Wo||, somobody doos!'
lt turnod out that Vo||nda d|d th|s doa| w| th tho ||mous|no company, whoro sho had a twonty-
tour-hour bodyguard and a twonty-tour-hour ||mo. 3ho must havo thought l was go|ng to murdor
hor or somoth|ng. l don't know how sho d|d |t, bocauso sho wasn't a co-s|gnatory on my card,
but l got thoso onormous b|||s and l had a hugo prob|om: l had to pay up. And that was tho ond ot
that.
1ho Eng||sh courts d|dn't want to know o|thor, bocauso Vo||nda rotusod to como ovor trom
Amor|ca. 1hoy sa|d: 'Vaybo |t you can got hor back horo . . .'
lt took mo a |ong t|mo to got a d|vorco. |or s|do just mado |t as d|tt|cu|t as poss|b|o, try|ng to
got moro monoy. l had |awyors com|ng ovor trom Amor|ca and go|ng through a|| my accounts.
3trango as |t may soom, |t was my rospons|b|||ty to put a|| thoso poop|o up whon thoy camo
ovor, and thoy wantod to stay at, ||ko, tho tuck|ng l|tz |n london. 1ho b|||s thoso poop|o ran up
woro unbo||ovab|o. And |t was just dragg|ng on and on, bocauso thoy woro conv|ncod l was
h|d|ng a |ot ot monoy. 1hoy woro th|nk|ng, ho's got b||||ons tuckod away. As thoy do. lt was a
b|oody n|ghtmaro. lt was a torr|b|o ro|at|onsh|p tor our daughtor, 1on|, as wo||.
Vo||nda had hor mum |n 0a||as |ook|ng attor hor much ot tho t|mo.
A roa||y wo|rd s|tuat|on. l novor actua||y mot Vo||nda's mothor, but sho was apparont|y a n|co
woman and sho d|dn't agroo w|th any ot what was go|ng on.
l wasn't a||owod to soo my daughtor, bocauso tor somo roason l was tho assho|o |n th|s who|o
th|ng. Attor a |ong wh||o thoy t|na||y sa|d |t was okay tor mo to soo hor, but on|y |n 0a||as or los
Ango|os. l cou|dn't tako hor anywhoro. 1hat door was c|osod shut.
Yoars |ator l got a phono ca|| trom tho ch||dron's protoct|on th|ng |n Amor|ca, say|ng that 1on|
had boon romovod trom homo. 1ho no|ghbours had comp|a|nod and tho poop|o trom ch||d
wo|taro had gono around thoro and tound that sho was bas|ca||y ||v|ng |n a s|um. l thought, what
am l go|ng to do? l want to got hor horo! 3ut l wasn't a||owod to tako 1on| out. l had to go through
a court caso ovor thoro aga|n to got hor.
lt broko my hoart, but |t wou|d bo yoars botoro 1on| was a||owod to como homo.
52
Frionda torovor
ln 3optombor 1080, Ozzy Osbourno's B|lzzoto o Ozz a|bum was ro|oasod on 0on Ardon's 1ot
locords |abo|. Attor ho |ott, wo hopod that ovoryth|ng was go|ng to bo okay, but what do you do?
3otoro wo camo to tho ond wo tr|od to ho|p Ozzy as much as wo cou|d to got h|m on tho road, to
pu|| h|mso|t togothor and do somoth|ng. 3ut |t was such an uph||| batt|o.
||s bo|ng away trom tho band probab|y ho|pod h|m, bocauso ho cou|d t|na||y do ovoryth|ng ho
wantod and got |t a|| out ot h|s systom. |or h|m | t was o|thor just t|zz|o out or got on w|th |t, so |t
was good that ho put a band togothor. And ho had 3haron thoro, sho was roa||y tak|ng caro ot
h|m.
l d|dn't ||ston to B|lzzoto o Ozz at tho t|mo, bocauso wo woro so wrappod up w|th what wo
woro do|ng ourso|vos. lot that l wasn't |ntorostod, l corta|n|y to||owod how ho was do|ng on tho
tours and stutt, as wo a|| d|d. l supposo thoro was a b|t ot a compot|t|on go|ng on botwoon us as
wo||, but good |uck to h|m. l was p|oasod to soo that ho'd got h|mso|t togothor and was do|ng tho
th|ngs that ho wantod to do. |o was probab|y vory happy, bocauso w|th us ovoryth|ng was bu||t
around tho band, whoroas now ovoryth|ng was bu||t around h|m and ho and 3haron had tota|
contro|.
Ozzy d|d como around onco to soo mo whon l was |n lA at tho lo larc hoto| w|th my w|to,
Vo||nda, work|ng on songs tor Vob Ro|os. |o had boon go|ng through a |ot ot stutt and shavod
h|s hoad aga|n at that t|mo. At two th|rty or throo o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng thoro was a knock on tho
door. 1horo ho was, ba|d, and woar|ng a |ong coat.
'Can l ta|k to you?'
l |ot h|m |n and ho ta|kod and ta|kod, go|ng through a|| thoso d|ttoront phasos ot h|s ||to. lt was
just too ovorpowor|ng tor mo. l hadn't soon h|m tor agos and suddon|y horo ho was, opon|ng up
to mo. |o ta|kod about ovoryth|ng, h|s |ast w|to and 3haron and th|s and that and tho othor and
whatovor o|so. And thon ho wont. lt was roa||y pocu||ar. |o probab|y just noodod a tr|ond,
somobody to ta|k to. 3ut |t was groat that ho camo around.
1hroughout tho yoars wo roma|nod tr|onds, dosp|to ot a |ot ot bu||sh|t that wont on. As soon as
|t got to tho bus|noss aga|n, |t was a prob|om. 3ut no mattor what, Ozzy and mo, wo aro st|||
tr|onds. And wo a|ways w||| bo.
58
1ho Nob RuIoa
ln 0ocombor 1080 wo wont to 1|ttonhurst lark |n Ascot to rocord a song tor tho mov|o loovy
Voto|. lt was 1ohn lonnon's o|d houso. l|ngo 3tarr had takon |t ovor and rontod |t out to poop|o
||ko us, who cou|d go thoro to wr|to, rohoarso and rocord. Wo got thoro r|ght attor lonnon was
murdorod, so |t to|t roa||y, roa||y strango. Wo woro thoro tor a wook and had |ots ot t|mo to chock
tho p|aco out. Wo |ookod around |n tho cupboards: 'Oh, what's |n thoro? Ah, moro go|d d|scs!'
ln tho bodroom wo saw '1ohn' wr|tton on ono ||ght sw|tch and 'Yoko' on tho othor by oach s|do
ot tho bod. 1hat was qu|to wo|rd, you cou|d just |mag|no thom go|ng: 'Wh|ch ono |s m|no now?'
1ho room wo rohoarsod |n was tho wh|to room that you a|ways soo |n thoso o|d t||ms about
1ohn and Yoko. 1hoy had a || tt|o stud|o |n tho back part ot tho houso and wo just usod tho|r goar.
Wo sot v|nny up |n tho ha||way and l had my amp |n tho stud|o. Wo usod lonnon's ong|noor as
wo||, so wo hoard a|| thoso stor|os. lt was qu|to a n|co tow days. lt had a groat atmosphoro and
wo got somo good v|bos trom thoro.
loovy Voto| was an an|matod t||m. 1hoy askod us to wr|to a song tor |ts soundtrack, but tho
mov|o wasn't t|n|shod yot so thoy just sont us somo b|ack and wh|to skotchos ot |t and tho
storyboard. lt was d|tt|cu|t to wr|to to that, as you don't havo an |doa ot tho t|m|ng ot tho scono.
1hoy just to|d us tho |ongth ot tho mus|c thoy noodod tor th|s b| t, and l supposo thoy an|matod
moro around what wo camo up w|th. Wo d|d an |ntro to go w|th th|s scono ot thoso poop|o
botoro thoy turn |nto monstors. Wo mado thoso ottocts, bubb||ng sounds and bass sounds and
God knows what o|so, and thon wo wont |nto tho track '1ho Vob lu|os'. Wo rocordod |t r|ght
thoro and sont |t ott to tho mov|o poop|o, who put |t on tho soundtrack as |t was. Wo wantod to
uso |t tor our own now a|bum as wo||, but our producor Vart|n 3|rch sa|d: 'Oh no, |t won't match
up sound-w|so', so wo ondod up ro-rocord|ng |t. As a mattor ot tact, wo ro-rocordod |t tw|co,
bocauso t|rst wo had anothor groat schomo ot ours go wrong.
Vart|n sa|d: 'You know how much |t costs to do an a|bum? Why don't you buy your own
stud|o? 3ocauso thon wo cou|d bo |n thoro tor two months or throo months or whatovor, w|thout
worry|ng about tho cost ot |t a||!'
lt was a groat |doa. Wo sont Vart|n ovor to lA to havo a |ook at a stud|o ho'd tound, to soo
what |t was ||ko. |o sa|d: 'lt's good. lt just noods a now dosk.'
Wo bought |t and a b|oody quartor ot a m||||on do||ar sound dosk, put that |n, put tho tapo
mach|nos |n and ott wo wont to go and rocord |n |t.
lt was crap.
Wo just cou|dn't got a gu|tar sound. Wo tr|od |t |n tho stud|o. Wo tr|od |t |n tho ha||way. Wo tr|od
|t ovorywhoro but |t just wasn't happon|ng. Wo'd bought a stud| o and |t wasn't work|ng! Wo ro-
rocordod a now vors|on ot '1ho Vob lu|os' but abandonod |t. Wo t|na||y just wa|kod out and
wont to tho locord l|ant, whoro wo had to pay aga|n, so |t cost us tw|co as much. lobody cou|d
bo||ovo |t: 'l hoar you bought a stud|o. 3o why aro you |n tho locord l|ant?'
'Eh . . . wo|| . . .'
Wo ondod up so|||ng tho dosk. Wo sont th|s crow to p|ck |t up and somobody thought thoy
woro burg||ng tho p|aco and ca||od tho cops on thom. Wh||o thoy woro do|ng tho|r job a squad
toam was outs|do, roady to arrost thom. 3ut |t was a|| oxp|a|nod and a|| sortod out. And thon wo
so|d tho stud|o. Can Am |t was ca||od. lt's actua||y a thr|v|ng stud|o now. l don't know what thoy'vo
dono to |t, but now |t's work|ng somohow.
Wo wroto tho rost ot tho songs tor tho Vob Ro|os a|bum whon wo woro |n lA. Wo got a
rohoarsa| room |n tho va||oy somowhoro, whoro wo tr| od stutt and got |doas that wo'd tapo and
tako back to tho houso. l rontod a p|aco |n 1o|uca lako. Attor tho rohoarsa|s w|th tho band, mo
and Goott usod to como back thoro, do a ||tt|o b|t ot coko and work on somo ot tho |doas. Wo'd
put now b|ts to |t, chango stutt, add to |t, try a tow othor |doas, and thon tho noxt day a|| ot us got
back togothor |n tho rohoarsa| room and tr|od |t aga|n.
Goott wasn't my on|y v|s|tor |n 1o|uca lako. G|onn |ughos camo ovor ono n|ght w|th th|s gu|tar
p|ayor, lat 1hra||. Ot courso l had somo coko. G|onn wont: 'Erm . . . You don't havo a b|t ot . . .
wou|d you?'
l'd say: 'Yoah, l just havo a ||tt|o.'
l wont |nto tho bodroom, took a b|t out ot my stash, camo back out aga|n and sa|d:
'l'vo got th|s.'
'Oh, good!'
And |t was gono |n no t|mo at a||.
G|onn wont: 'You havon't got any moro, havo you, havo you?'
lat 1hra|| was abso|uto|y shockod, bocauso ho had novor soon G|onn |n that stato. 1hoy
stayod unt|| tour or t|vo o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng, so l sa|d: 'G|onn, l'vo got to go to bod, l'vo got to
bo |n a stud|o |n tho morn|ng.'
'Oh, just ono moro, just ono moro!'
l sa|d to lat: 'You'vo got to got h|m homo.'
|o sa|d: 'l'm sorry. l don't know how to hand|o h|m. What do l do?'
'1ust got h|m |n tho car and got h|m homo!'
l hatod do|ng |t to G|onn, but l t|na||y had to throw h|m out ot tho houso: 'Out!'
1hoy wou|d havo boon thoro to tho doath |t l hadn't dono that. 1hoy d|d th|s projoct togothor:
|ughos/1hra||. lt d|dn't |ast. l wondor why.
1hat houso was a horr|b|o p|aco anyway. lt was hot |n 1o|uca lako and whon l movod |n thoro
was no a|r cond|t|on|ng. l had a|roady wondorod why l got |t at such a good pr|co. lt was ||ko a
sauna |n thoro. 1ho no|ghbours probab|y thought l was wo|rd, bocauso l put a|| th|s t|nto|| up
aga|nst tho bodroom w|ndows, try|ng to rot|oct tho hoat. lt was droadtu|. l cou|dn't wa|t to got out.
l thon movod |nto a hoto| on 3unsot 3ou|ovard tor a wh||o. lonn|o camo ovor and wo put somo
|doas down |n tho hoto| room. Wo tound |t was bottor to somot|mos s|t togothor swapp|ng |doas,
|nstoad ot work|ng w|th ovorybody o|so around, bocauso thon thoy'ro a|| wa|t|ng tor you to como
up w|th somoth|ng.
loovoo ooo lo|| had dono oxtromo|y wo|| and tho tour was a groat succoss. 1ho band
mombors woro gott|ng a|ong t|no, but |t took somo ottort on ovorybody's part to koop |t that way,
bocauso tho who|o th|ng to|t ||ko |t cou|d b|ow up any m|nuto. Attor tho rocord bocamo such a
groat succoss, Warnor 3rothors oxtondod tho contract at tho samo t|mo, ottor|ng lonn|o a so|o
doa|. 1hat to|t a b|t odd to us, bocauso wo woro a band and wo d|dn't want to soparato anybody.
l'm not say|ng ho shou|dn't havo a so|o doa|, but |t just soomod ||ko tho wrong th|ng to do at tho
t|mo. Wo ta|kod about |t and lonn|o was t|no. And wo just carr|od on.
3y thon lonn|o d|d como ovor a ||tt|o moro . . . l supposo, bossy. 1ho way ho conductod
h|mso|t, tho way ho ta|kod, |t m|ght havo g|von that |mpross|on to tho outs|do wor|d, but ho
usua||y d|dn't moan anyth|ng by |t. lonn|o was just vory outspokon. On tho othor hand Goozor
and myso|t hatod to bo controntod w|th stutt. Wo havo a|ways boon that way, try|ng not to ottond
oach othor, or anybody o|so. 1hat backt|rod |n tho |ong run, bocauso wo wou|dn't say what wo
to|t stra|ght away. lnstoad wo ta|kod about |t at t|rst, and thon |t |ookod ||ko wo ta|kod boh|nd
somobody's back, wh|ch |n turn causod a|| sorts ot prob|oms. Ot courso wo wou|dn't rospond to
thoso |mmod|ato|y o|thor, bocauso wo'd ta|k about |t t|rst, wh|ch |n turn wou|d causo somo moro
prob|oms, that wo, ot courso, wou|dn't . . . Wo||, you know what l moan. lt wou|d u|t|mato|y |oad to
somoth|ng that cou|dn't bo so|vod any moro, no mattor how much ovorybody d|d or d|dn't ta|k
about |t.
3o that as |t may, tho rocord|ng ot Vob Ro|os wont smooth|y. '1urn Up 1ho l|ght' was a tast
song and a good way to start tho a|bum. Work|ng w|th lonn|o, somohow tho tastor onos camo
oas|or than botoro. Anothor stand-out track was '1ho 3|gn Ot 1ho 3outhorn Cross'. Wo wantod
a roa| powor track on tho a|bum, just ||ko '|oavon And |o||' was on tho prov|ous ono, and that
was |t: anothor hugo, |ong song.
1ho a|bum was ro|oasod 4 lovombor 1081. Whon wo or|g|na||y |ookod at tho covor w|th a
p|cturo by Grog |||dobrandt wo sa|d: 'Wow, wo roa||y ||ko th|s.'
1ho on|y th|ng wo took out was tho tacos |n tho masks ot tho t|guros. 1horo was a ||tt|o
controvorsy about somo sta|ns on tho t|oor |n tho p|cturo. Accord|ng to somo poop|o |t spo||od
out 'Ozzy'. 3omobody mont|onod |t to us and wo wont: 'What?'
lt was tota| rubb|sh. l novor not|cod anyth|ng and st||| wou|dn't know whoro to t|nd |t.
A|though l soom to romombor that most rov|ows ot Vob Ro|os woro pos|t|vo, somo cr|t|cs
wroto: 'lt's just loovoo ooo lo|| part two.'
You can't p|oaso ovorybody.
'lt's just a cont|nuat|on ot what you havo dono botoro.'
'Wo||, yoah, |t's tho band!'
'l know, but |t sounds ||ko a cont|nuat|on trom your prov|ous a|bum.'
'Yoah, |t |s. lt's tho noxt a|bum!'
Or |t |t's not, thon thoy'ro go|ng: 'Oh, |t doosn't sound anyth|ng ||ko tho |ast a|bum.'
'lo, |t's a d|ttoront a|bum!'
What aro you supposod to do?
54
1ho Nob toura
1ho Vob lu|os tour startod |n lovombor 1081 |n Canada, to||owod by tho 3tatos. 1hon wo wont
back homo tor tour datos at tho |ammorsm|th Odoon start|ng on low Yoar's Evo. Wo usod |ots
ot pyro w|th t|ro and bombs, and wo had th|s b|oko work|ng tor us who doa|t w|th a|| that stutt.
3otoro tho shows wo rohoarsod |n london |n a b|g room boh|nd an lr|sh pub. At tho t|mo thoro
woro a |ot ot llA bomb|ngs |n tho c|ty. Our pyro guy doc|dod to tost a bomb |n tho rohoarsa|
room. lt oxp|odod and ovorybody |ott tho lr|sh pub |n a pan|c. lt was chaos, abso|uto chaos. Ono
ot our guys was |n tho pub and ho sa|d: 'l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t, ovorybody just shot out. lott a|| tho
dr|nks and ovoryth|ng, whoosh, gono!'
1hoso bombs woro roa||y |oud. 1hoy must havo thought, ho||, somobody |s try|ng to b|ow us up!
Vad, |t was.
Vy good tr|ond 3r|an Vay camo down to soo mo wh||o wo woro rohoars|ng. l sa|d to h|m:
'3r|ng your gu|tar down and wo'|| havo a ||tt|o bash.'
|o d|d and whon wo t|n|shod our sot mo and 3r|an just carr|od on p|ay|ng. Wo woro jamm|ng
away and moanwh||o tho crow gradua||y romovod a|| tho goar. Wo turnod around and thoro was
just ono ot my spoakor cab|nots and h|s amp, and wo wont: '|uck|ng ho||, ovoryth|ng has gono!'
Wo woro tota||y ob||v|ous to |t, bocauso wo woro onjoy|ng ourso|vos so much. 1ho pyro guy
cou|d'vo sot ono ot h|s bombs ott and 3r|an and mo wou|dn't havo not|cod!
Wo p|ayod tho |ammorsm|th and tho samo pyro guy put h|s bombs undornoath tho stago. |o
tostod ono ot thom, |t wont bang and |t b|ow a two-toot-w|do ho|o |n tho t|oor on my s|do. lt l'd
boon thoro, l wou|d havo boon b|own up. Chr|st, |t was dangorous. 1ho guy was bocom|ng a
||ab|||ty, so |n tho ond wo to|d h|m: 'You'ro t|rod!'
lo pun |ntondod.
A coup|o ot months |ator wo woro do|ng a show |n Vad|son 3quaro Gardon. 1ho guy who
workod tor mo do|ng a|| my amps had bu||t thoso b|g th|ck p|pos. |o ma|nta|nod that ho cou|d
put tho pyro |n thoso and |t wou|d g|vo a roa| thud. |o showod us and |t roa||y d|d. |o thon put
thom undor tho stago at Vad|son 3quaro Gardon and ho sot thom ott dur|ng 'War l|gs'. On tho
t|rst noto: '0aa . . .' |t was: '3ang!'
1ho stago |oapod and bocauso ot tho concuss|on a|| tho tubos wont out on my amps and on
Goozor's stack as wo||. lt was just d|sastrous. Wo had on|y dono tho t|rst noto and tho |ot had
gono. Wo woro a|| r|ght, but wo had to stop.
3oom! 1hat was |t, tho ond, thank you and good n|ght!
Attor a coup|o ot wooks ot tour|ng tho UK to||ow|ng tho |ammorsm|th shows, wo woro
supposod to go back to Amor|ca |n |obruary.
1hon 0ad d|od.
|o hadn't boon wo|| tor somo t|mo. |o had omphysoma, bocauso ho'd boon a hoavy smokor
a|| h|s ||to. l was back at homo |n Eng|and. Ono n|ght l got a ca|| trom my mothor. 0ad had ta||on
out ot bod. l got on tho phono to h|s doctor and l scroamod at h|m, to|||ng h|m to got ovor thoro. l
shot ovor thoro myso|t w|th Vo||nda and tound 0ad on tho t|oor, unconsc|ous and broath|ng
hoav||y. And thon ho just gavo up and d|od.
l w|tnossod h|m d|o. lt was horr|b|o.
lt was a d|tt|cu|t t|mo. Wo postponod tho start ot tho Amor|can tour, but soon l was p|ay|ng
away aga|n, n|ght attor n|ght, and travo|||ng a|| ovor tho p|aco. Work|ng hard . . . just ||ko 0ad had
dono a|| h|s ||to.
55
A Nunator in tho mix
1ho Vob lu|os tour wont smooth|y and wo a|| got a|ong wo||, a|though thoro was a|| th|s ta|k
about lonn|o p|ann|ng to do a so|o a|bum. 1hat d|dn't roa||y s|t wo|| w|th Goozor and mo. Wo
hoard ho was do|ng rohoarsa|s w|th a so|o band and wo thought, what tho ho|| |s go|ng on?
Wo rocordod a |ot ot tho Amor|can datos tor what was to bocomo 3|ack 3abbath's t|rst
ott|c|a| ||vo a|bum, but tho who|o projoct turnod |nto a b|oody n|ghtmaro. Wo woro |n lA at tho
locord l|ant aga|n. Wo had th|s b|oko ca||od loo 0o Car|o do|ng tho ong|noor|ng and tho
m|x|ng tor us. ||s s|stor was Yvonno 0o Car|o, tho actross who p|ayod l||y Vunstor |n 7bo
Voostots. Wo wont ahoad m|x|ng th|s ||vo a|bum and thon |t startod: mo, Goozor and lonn|o
wou|d |oavo tho stud|o and whon wo camo back tho noxt day |t wou|d sound d|ttoront. loo wou|d
novor say anyth|ng. Wo wou|d put |t r|ght, como back tho noxt day and |t wou|d bo d|ttoront
aga|n! loo ovontua||y broko down. lt was dr|v|ng h|m mad, ho was dr|nk|ng moro and moro
3cotch, and ho t|na||y sa|d: 'l'vo got to to|| you, you'ro go|ng away at n|ght and thon lonn|o
comos |n and a|tors ovoryth|ng.'
'You'ro k|dd|ng!'
'lo. l don't know what to say. l'm |n a torr|b|o pos|t|on horo.'
'Why d|dn't you to|| us a|| th|s was go|ng on?'
'l d|dn't know what to do!'
lonn|o has a|ways don|od that ho d|d th|s, but that's what loo sa|d. |ow truo that was l don't
know - |t's on|y h|s word - but wo bo||ovod |t at that t|mo. Wo h|t tho root and wo had a b|g b|ow-
up |n tho stud|o. Wo stoppod lonn|o com|ng down thoro and that was tho ond ot |t. lonn|o sa|d:
'l'm ott.'
|o wont, and v|nny wont w|th h|m. Wo broko up thoro and thon.
Vo and Goozor carr|od on and t|n|shod tho rocord. Llvo Evl| was ro|oasod at tho ond ot 1082,
bog|nn|ng ot 1088. lt d|d protty wo||, cons|dor|ng ovoryth|ng and tho tact that tho band had
brokon up by thon.
Amaz|ng|y, Ozzy put out a ||vo a|bum as wo|| around tho samo t|mo. Whoro Llvo Evl| had
songs trom loovoo ooo lo|| and Vob Ro|os, w|th somo o|dor 3|ack 3abbath stutt, 5pook o
tbo Lovl|, Ozzy's a|bum, was a|| ro-rocordod 3abbath songs w|th nono ot h|s so|o stutt. l was
unp|oasant|y surpr|sod that ho just d|d tho o|d sot. lt st||| surpr|sos mo to th|s day: ho goos out
and doos 'lron Van' and 'larano|d' a|| tho t|mo, ovon though ho's got a groat roporto|ro ot a|| ot
tho songs ho's dono on h|s own. l th|nk putt|ng out tho ||vo a|bum ||ko that was down to 3haron,
try|ng to put tho cat among tho p|goons.
Attor lonn|o and v|nny |ott, l ca||od up 0av|d Covorda|o and Cozy lowo|| to soo |t thoy wou|d
bo |ntorostod |n jo|n|ng us. Covorda|o's words woro: 'Ah, bo||ocks, l just s|gnod a doa| w|th
Gotton locords to do a Wh|tosnako a|bum.'
Cozy was w|th Wh|tosnako as wo||, so that was thoso two takon caro ot.
Vo and Goozor had to roth|nk tho who|o th|ng. Wo had a m||||on tapos sont |n trom d|ttoront
s|ngors and most ot thom woro horr|b|o. Ono ot thom was trom V|chao| 3o|ton. l d|dn't know h|m
at tho t|mo. Wo had V|chao| como |n and wo had h|m s|ng '|oavon and |o||', 'War l|gs' and
'loon Kn|ghts'. |o was qu|to good, but ho wasn't oxact|y what wo woro |ook|ng tor thon. Wo
droppod a bo||ock thoro, d|dn't wo? V|chao| 3o|ton! A ||tt|o b|t ot a m|stako.
lt was hard to t|nd somobody who was go|ng to t|t tho b|||, to s|ng tho Ozzy and tho lonn|o
stutt. 3ut an un||ko|y |ad was |urk|ng around tho cornor, and soon wo'd bo roborn . . .
50
1o 1ho Nanor Born Again
3y tho t|mo lonn|o and v|nny |ott, wo sw|tchod managomont aga|n to nono othor than 0on
Ardon. |o hadn't boon | ntorostod |n manag|ng us w|thout Ozzy, but ho changod h|s m|nd, maybo
a|so bocauso ho'd had a b|g b|ow-up w|th 3haron attor sho took ott w|th Ozzy. And attor tho
3andy loar|man d|sastor wo wo|comod 0on back w|th opon arms.
0on camo up w|th tho |doa ot us moot|ng lan G|||an, ot 0oop lurp|o tamo. |o sa|d: '3oo how
you got on!'
l d|dn't know lan. Wo arrangod to moot h|m at |uncht|mo |n a pub |n Woodstock, Oxtordsh|ro,
ca||od 1ho 3oar. Wo had a dr|nk, thon anothor dr|nk, and anothor dr|nk, and anothor dr|nk. 1ho
pub oponod and c|osod and oponod aga|n and c|osod, and wo woro st||| thoro. And at tho ond ot
tho n|ght wo had a band togothor.
1ho noxt day lan apparont|y d|dn't romombor that vory wo||, bocauso h|s managor, lh||
3ant|o|d, sa|d to h|m: 'loxt t|mo you doc|do to put a band togothor, w||| you |ntorm mo? l just got
th|s ca|| trom 0on Ardon about tho band and l sa|d: What band?' And 0on sa|d to mo: Wo||, ho
just jo|nod 3|ack 3abbath!''
1horo corta|n|y was a buzz around tho bus|noss. 1hoy woro go|ng mad about us toam|ng up.
And ovon |n tho pub |n Woodstock somo tans camo up to us who cou|dn't bo||ovo thoy woro
soo|ng tho throo ot us togothor. lt was unusua|, guys trom two b|g bands gott|ng togothor to start
a now group.
lh|| 3ant|o|d managod lan and 0on managod us (lh|| wou|d |ator |ntroduco mo to la|ph
3akor and Ernost Chapman, who |n 1088 took ovor my managomont). 3ack thon wo |ot 0on
hand|o |t, bocauso lh|| d|dn't want to got |nvo|vod too much w|th h|m. lh|| and lan |ookod at h|m
||ko: '0on Ardon, ho'|| cut your hands ott!'
Wo woron' t go|ng to ca|| tho band 3|ack 3abbath. 1ho |doa was to havo a suporgroup ot
d|ttoront namos |n ono band and ca|| |t somoth|ng o|so. 3ut 0on thought wo shou|d carry on w|th
tho namo 3|ack 3abbath, and so wo t|na||y wont: 'Wo||, a|| r|ght thon.'
Vo and 3||| Ward had stayod |n touch and whon wo put tho now band togothor l thought, |ot's
soo what 3||| |s up to. Wo askod h|m to como ovor and ho soon d|d. Wo thought |t wou|d bo
good tor 3||| to bo p|ay|ng, bocauso that's what ho |s, a p|ayor. |o was do|ng wo|| at that t|mo.
|o was ||v|ng |n lA, whoro ho had stoppod dr|nk|ng. |o camo ovor to Eng|and w|th th|s guy trom
A|coho||cs Anonymous, a sponsor, so as tar as wo woro concornod ho was gott|ng c|oan.
Wo wont to 1ho Vanor, a stud|o |n tho Oxtordsh|ro countrys|do ownod by l|chard 3ranson, to
rocord Boto Agolo. lan sa|d to mo: 'Whon wo rocord l'm go|ng to stay outs|do.'
l sa|d: 'Outs|do? What do you moan?'
'Wo||, l'm go|ng to havo a marquoo outs|do tho houso and l'm go|ng to stay |n thoro.'
'Why |s that thon?'
'lt wou|d probab|y bo bottor tor my vo|co.'
'Okay.'
l thought ho was jok|ng, but whon l arr|vod at 1ho Vanor l saw th|s marquoo outs|do and l
thought, tuck|ng ho||, ho's sor|ous. lan had put up th|s b|g, hugo tont. lt had a cook|ng aroa and a
bodroom and whatovor o|so.
Wo had a|| tho pyro |ott ovor trom tho tour, so ono n|ght wo put |t a|| around tho tont. Attor lan
had gono to bod, up |t wont: 3oom! 1ho who|o th|ng just t|ow up |n tho a|r and ho was on tho
ground, a|| bow||dorod, go|ng: 'What happonod!?'
1ho worst ot |t was, ho'd put h|s tont r|ght noxt to tho |ako and l|chard 3ranson had a|| sorts ot
pr|zo throo-toot-|ong t|sh |n | t. 1ho concuss|on wont a|| through tho |ako and k|||od somo ot tho
t|sh and stunnod tho rost, so thoy woro a|| t|oat|ng on tho surtaco. Concussod carp: whon
3ranson hoard about |t ho was not happy at a||.
Wh||o wo woro up at 1ho Vanor wo thought that |n tho |ong run |t wou|d probab|y bo choapor to
buy our own cars |nstoad ot h|r|ng thom tor our upcom|ng tour, so wo bought tour now |ords. 3|||
ospoc|a||y was vory p|oasod w|th h|s now whoo|s. Ono n|ght wo a|| wont down to tho pub and lan
wont homo to 1ho Vanor a ||tt|o botoro us. 1horo was a go-kart track that wont around tho
sw|mm|ng poo|, and ho doc|dod to tako ono ot tho cars to raco |t around thoro. |o |ost contro| ot
|t and, bang!, tho car t||ppod ups|do down. |o got out, but tho car caught t|ro and ho just |ott |t.
|o got back |n tho houso, throw tho koys on tho tab|o and sa|d ho was go|ng to bod. 1ho noxt
morn|ng 3||| got up and ho sa|d: 'What happonod to my car?'
Wo tound |t down tho go-kart track, ups|do down and burnod out. 3||| h|t tho root: 'Who d|d
th|s!'
lan had h|s boat out on tho Chorwo||, tho r|vor that runs a|ong tho back ot 1ho Vanor. 3||| tound
out |t was lan who had t||ppod h|s car, so ho got a ch|so|, wont out to tho r|vor, smashod ho|os |n
tho bottom ot tho boat and sank |t. 1hon lan camo out: '|uck|ng ho||, somobody's sto|on my
boat!'
|o drovo up and down tho r|vor to soo whothor |t had dr|ttod ott or |t somobody had sto|on |t.
|o cou|dn't t|nd |t and wont comp|oto|y potty. |o roportod h|s boat m|ss|ng, but thon tound out
that |t was |n tho r|vor, undorwator. |o had thoso two g|gant|c now ong|nos on thom and thoy
woro ru|nod. 3o 3||| got h|s own back.
lan had wa|kod away trom 3|||'s crashod car unscathod, but ho d|d |njuro h|mso|t whon ho tr|od
to got |nto my room through tho w|ndow. |o c||mbod up a |addor, stoppod ovor tho w|ndow s|||,
got h|s toot stuck |n tho rad|ator, to|| |nto tho room and tw|stod h|s ank|o. A|| bocauso ho wantod
to put a t|sh undor my bod.
Abso|uto|y mad.
l|chard 3ranson camo to stay tor a tow days and h|m and lan woro smok|ng thoso hugo
jo|nts. A r|ght ono ho was. 0on Ardon and h|s son, 0av|d, camo to soo us at 1ho Vanor as wo||.
1o wo|como thom propor|y wo put somo bombs on tho ontranco gato. As 0on and 0av|d drovo
|n tho bombs wont up: 3oom!
lt was an unusua| match, that ||no-up, but wo d|d havo a |ot ot |aughs.Wo producod tho a|bum
ourso|vos. lan had nodu|os on h|s voca| cords at tho t|mo. Whon wo t|rst mot h|m, ho sa|d: 'l'm
not go|ng to bo ab|o to s|ng too much bocauso l havo a prob|om w|th my vo|co.'
'Oh?'
3ut wo put down tho songs w|thout too many h|tchos. lan's |yr|cs woro about soxua| th|ngs or
truo tacts, ovon about stutt that happonod at 1ho Vanor thoro and thon. 1hoy woro good, but
qu|to a doparturo trom Goozor's and lonn|o's |yr|cs. 1horo was a br|ck bu||d|ng at tho back ot
1ho Vanor, and |t was c|oso to a church. l had somo goar sot up |n thoro bocauso l wantod to try
to got anothor gu|tar sound. 1ho no|so was doaton|ng and a|| tho |oca|s comp|a|nod. 1hoy drow
up a pot|t|on aga|nst us and tho pr|ost brought |t around. And that's why ono ot tho tracks trom
tho a|bum |s ca||od '0|sturb|ng 1ho lr|ost'. lt's a good oxamp|o ot how lan wroto about roa|
ovonts.
ln thoso days you had to mako your own ottocts. 3||| mado th|s part|cu|ar 't|ngngng!' sound on
'0|sturb|ng 1ho lr|ost'. |o got th|s by h|tt|ng an anv|| and thon d|pp|ng |t |nto a bathtub tu|| ot
wator, so tho 't|ngngng!' sound s|ow|y changod and tadod away. lt took us a|| day to do that,
bocauso try|ng to |owor tho anv|| gradua||y |nto tho wator was a n|ghtmaro. lt took two poop|o on
ono ond and two moro on tho othor to |owor |t, w|th somobody o|so h|tt|ng |t. lt was so hoavy that
wo cou|dn't spoak or anyth|ng, just sort ot nod to oach othor. lt was a s|ght to soo: |t somobody
had mado a t||m ot |t, |t wou|d havo |ookod abso|uto|y r|d|cu|ous. 3ut |t workod. A|| th|s to croato
th|s ono 't|ngngng!', wh|ch nowadays you can got trom a computor |n soconds.
l thought 'Zoro 1ho |oro' was a good track, and apparont|y l'm not tho on|y ono who ||kos |t.
Whon l hoard 'larad|so C|ty' by Guns l' losos l thought, tuck|ng ho||, that sounds ||ko ono ot
ours! 3omobody a|so suggostod that tho 3oast|o 3oys m|ght havo borrowod tho r|tt tor '(You
Gotta) ||ght |or Your l|ght (1o larty!)' trom our song '|ot l|no'. lt |t's truo |ot's suo thom. Wo
won't p|ay any moro, wo'|| just mako monoy trom |awsu|ts! 3ut nood|oss to say wo d|dn't suo!
'Koop lt Warm' was a r|tt that l'd had t|oat|ng about s|nco Vob Ro|os and l thought |t was about
t|mo wo usod |t. l havo a hab|t ot koop|ng my r|tts, l'vo got thousands ot thom. You know a r|tt |s
good whon you p|ay |t and |t gots to you. You just too| a good r|tt. 1ho ono that m|ght bo tho
bog|nn|ng ot a now song |s tho ono that jumps out and you th|nk, that's |t, l ||ko that! l tound that
wh||o l'm st||| ab|o to koop wr|t|ng thom, l usua||y don't go back to tho o|d onos, so l'm on|y gott|ng
moro and moro. Vaybo l shou|d so|| r|tts!
Whon |t camo to do|ng tho m|x, lan p|ayod tho stutt back roa||y tuck|ng |oud. 3upposod|y ho
b|ow a coup|o ot twootors |n tho stud|o spoakors th|s way. Wo d|d tho m|x not know|ng that thoy
had gono, and nobody not|cod. Wo just thought |t was a b|t ot a tunny sound, but |t wont vory
wrong somowhoro botwoon tho m|x and tho mastor|ng and pross|ng ot that a|bum. Wo d|dn't
to||ow that through, and apparont|y whon thoy tostod tho |acquors tho sound was roa||y du|| and
mutt|y. l d|dn't know about |t, bocauso wo woro a|roady out on tour |n Europo. 3y tho t|mo wo
hoard tho a|bum, |t was out and |n tho charts, but tho sound was awtu|. lt so|d roa||y wo||, but wo
woro vory d|sappo|ntod that |t hadn't como out as wo a|| wantod |t to. 1ho or|g|na| tapos soundod
so much bottor.
Boto Agolo was vory d|ttoront trom anyth|ng wo'd dono botoro. lyr|ca||y, bocauso lan's po|nts
ot v|ow on th|ngs woro d|ttoront trom thoso ot lonn|o and Goozor. And sound-w|so, bocauso
that got a|| poar-shapod somowhoro a|ong tho ||no. 3ut thoro'ro somo vory good, hoavy tracks
on |t. 1ho covor was anothor mattor. lan cou|dn't bo||ovo |t whon ho saw |t. |o wont: 'You can't do
that. You can't havo a baby on tho tront w|th c|aws and horns!'
|o abso|uto|y dotostod |t. 3omobody had prosontod th|s th|ng to 0on Ardon: 'l'vo got th|s |doa
tor you . . .'
And 0on wont: '1hat's groat!'
|o roa||y pushod |t on us: 'l th|nk |t w||| causo a |ot ot prob|oms, a |ot ot |ntorost, poop|o w||| ta|k
about |t!'
loop|o ta|kod about |t a|| r|ght.
l was |n st|tchos whon l t|rst saw |t, but thon wo ondod up actua||y hav|ng |t.
'Who wou|d havo that?'
'Wo wou|d!'
0ur|ng tho rocord|ng 3||| had somo prob|om w|th h|s ox-w|to. l th|nk |t had somoth|ng to do w|th
gott|ng custody ot h|s son. Ono day l bought 3||| a p|aquo, bocauso ho'd boon a yoar ott a|coho|.
l wont to g|vo |t to h|m and ho was p|ssod as a parrot. lt was such a downor, bocauso |t was a||
go|ng so wo|| and thon, bang!, ott tho wagon and doprossod aga|n. l sa|d to Goozor: 'What's
happonod? What's go|ng on?'
|o sa|d: 'Oh, ho's had somo bad nows trom lA.'
1ho sponsor trom AA had gono by that po|nt. Wo caught h|m stoa||ng stutt ott 3|||, so wo sont
h|m pack|ng. Wo tr|od to br|ng 3||| around, but ho wont through a wo|rd stago. Ovor tho noxt tow
days ho sat |n tho k|tchon at 1ho Vanor. 1h|s |ovo|y o|d houso had a|| thoso or|g|na| |oadod
w|ndows and |n a t|t ot rago 3||| throw a|| thoso p|atos and crockory and ovoryth|ng through thom.
Wo had poop|o como ovor to rodo thom a||, put |n othor w|ndows and |oad thom, and, wou|d you
bo||ovo |t, tho noxt day 3||| d|d tho samo aga|n. |o was just roa||y angry about |t a|| and ho
wantod to go back to lA, to got h|mso|t |nto rocovory aga|n.
lt was roa| d|sappo|nt|ng tor us. |o had rocordod tho a|bum, but . . . now what?
57
5izo mattora
Wo wondorod who wo shou|d got to rop|aco 3|||. l ca||od 3ov 3ovan, who p|ayod w|th 1ho Vovo
and ElO, to soo |t ho'd como a|ong tor a wh||o. 3ov was an o|d mato. |o sa|d to mo: 'l don't
know whothor l can p|ay |t.'
l sa|d: 'Como and havo a go.'
Wo rohoarsod, ho got usod to tho songs and ho p|ayod bottor and bottor as |t wont on, and |n
tho ond ho tourod w|th us tor as |ong as th|s ||no-up |astod. lt was n|co to havo anothor o|d tr|ond
on tour. At t|rst wo d|dn't ovon know how |ong 3ov was go|ng to bo noodod. Wo thought 3|||
wou|d como back, but ho just wasn't capab|o.
Whon wo woro th|nk|ng about tho stago sot tor our 3orn Aga|n tour, Goozor sa|d: 'Why don't
wo havo somoth|ng that |ooks ||ko 3tonohongo, you know, w|th stonos and a|| that stutt?'
'|mm, that's a good |doa.'
Goozor jottod down what |t shou|d |ook ||ko and gavo |t to tho dos|gnors. 1wo or throo months
|ator wo saw |t. Wo rohoarsod tor tho tour at tho 3|rm|ngham lEC and wo sa|d: 'Oh groat, tho
stago sot |s go|ng to como today!'
lt camo |n and wo cou|dn't bo||ovo |t. lt was as b|g as tho roa| 3tonohongo. 1hoy had takon
Goozor's moasuromonts tho wrong way and thought |t was moant to bo ||to-s|zo. l sa|d: '|ow tho
b|oody ho|| d|d that happon?'
'Wo||, l put down tho ho|ght |n cont|motros, but thoy must havo thought |t was |n |nchos.'
Wo woro |n shock. 1h|s stutt was com|ng |n and |n and |n. lt had a|| thoso hugo co|umns | n tho
back that woro as w|do as your avorago bodroom, tho co|umns |n tho tront woro about 18 toot
h|gh, and wo had a|| tho mon|tors and tho s|do t|||s as wo|| as a|| th|s rock. lt was mado ot
t|brog|ass and wood, and b|oody hoavy.
1ho tour cont|nuod throughout Europo. l suggostod wo p|ay '3moko On 1ho Wator', bocauso
lan was known tor |t and |t soomod ||ko a bum doa| tor h|m not to do any ot h|s stutt wh||o ho was
do|ng a|| ot ours. l don't know whothor wo p|ayod |t propor|y, but tho aud|onco |ovod |t. 1ho cr|t|cs
moanod, |t was somoth|ng out ot tho bag and thoy d|dn't want to know thon.
lan had a|| tho |yr|cs wr|tton out as ho had a hard t|mo romombor|ng thom. |o got to a po|nt
whoro ho had thom a|| ovor tho stago. Ono t|mo dur|ng '3|ack 3abbath' thoy b|ow too much dry
|co our way. lan was stand|ng thoro w|th h|s hoad down, ha|r |n tront ot h|s taco, hutt|ng and
putt|ng, tur|ous|y try|ng to b|ow tho dry |co away trom h|s |yr|c shoots.
l wont: 'You can't havo a|| thoso |yr|cs |y|ng around, |t |ooks a b|t obv|ous.'
|o sa|d: 'l'vo noar|y got thom. l'|| havo thom soon!'
3ut ho novor d|d, ho just cou|dn't romombor thom. lan wasn't vory suro-tootod o|thor. |o onco
to|| ovor my poda| board. |o was wav|ng at tho poop|o, stoppod back and, bang!, ho wont arso
ovor hoad b|g t|mo. |o jumpod up and tr|od to mako bo||ovo |t was part ot tho show. lan was
vory tunny. As a mattor ot tact, ott stago lan was a b|oody |unat|c. On stago ho was qu|otor.
lnstoad ot bo|ng a |unat|c on stago and qu|ot ott!
lan had thoso two b|g bongos on a stand whon ho jo|nod us, ||ko Edmundo loss. l sa|d: 'You
can't uso thoso!'
|o sa|d: 'l a|ways usod thom whon l was w|th lurp|o.'
'lt won't |ook r|ght |n 3|ack 3abbath, hav|ng a sot ot bongos stuck r|ght |n tront ot you.'
'Wo||, l don't know what to do w|th my hands |t l don't havo thom. l'm so usod to h|tt|ng thom.'
'lt w||| |ook torr|b|o, thoso b|oody bongos |n tho m|dd|o ot tho stago.'
'What |t l put thom on tho s|do, by Goozor?'
3o ho put thom by Goozor thon. ||m tapp|ng h|s bongos.
Ono t|mo tho crow put somo str|ng on thom. 1ho |doa was to pu|| thom away wh||o ho was
p|ay|ng thom, so ho'd havo to to||ow thom. Untortunato|y |t d|dn't work out vory wo||. Whon thoy
pu||od on thom, tho bongos wobb|od, noar|y ta|||ng ovor. 3ut ho was st||| try|ng to h|t thom. Wo
managod to got r|d ot thom |n tho ond, thanktu||y.
Whon lan t|rst jo|nod us ho sa|d: 'l don't know what to woar.'
l sa|d: 'Evorybody woars b|ack or maybo |oathor.'
'l don't roa||y woar |oathor.'
lt's a b|t d|tt|cu|t s|ng|ng |n 3|ack 3abbath w|th t|owory sh|rts on, so wo askod h|m to darkon
down a b|t. |ad about t|vo or s|x wa|stcoats mado, a|| b|ack |oathor, and |n tho ond ho had somo
|oathor pants as wo||. Wo woro actua||y gott|ng h|m thoro b|t by b|t.
On 18 3optombor wo woro duo to p|ay a bu||r|ng |n 3arco|ona. Wo woro |nv|tod to th|s roa||y
n|co c|ub tho n|ght botoro. 1ho dr|nks woro t|ow|ng and thon lan doc|dod that ho was go|ng to sot
tho wa|tor's arso on t|ro. |o got h|s ||ghtor go|ng wh||o tho guy was sorv|ng somobody o|so,
burn|ng h|m on tho backs|do. l thought, horo wo go, and sa|d to 3ov: 'l'm go|ng to go back to tho
hoto| now.'
|o sa|d: 'l'|| como w|th you.'
3ut lan wont: '1ust hang on, wo'ro a|| com|ng w|th you |n a m|nuto.'
'Oh, tuck|ng ho||. Wo||, okay, a|| r|ght.'
Wo had anothor dr|nk and thon tho p|aco c|osod, so wo wont. lan wa|kod out w|th h|s p|nt ot
boor and thoy sa|d: 'You can't tako that outs|do.'
|o d|d anyway and thon |t was: '0on't push mo!'
And bang! A t|ght startod and |t was an awtu| ono. 1hoy camo trom ovorywhoro, a|| tho k|tchon
statt, tho wa|tors, tho b|oody |ot, w|th kn|vos and mart|a| arts nunchucks and ovoryth|ng. Wo woro
just tho band and two socur|ty b|okos. Wo woro t|ght|ng tor our ||vos and lan G|||an was nowhoro
to bo soon. |o |ator c|a|mod ho to|| |n a d|tch, but l rockon ho |oggod |t. Goozor h|t somobody
w|th a g|ass and |t cut h|s hand opon. 1ho po||co camo and thoy arrostod h|m and ono ot our
socur|ty guys. 1hoy put thom |n ja|| and throw two poop|o trom tho c|ub |n w|th thom, who
procoodod to boat our socur|ty guy up r|ght thoro.
|ow on oarth wo got back to tho hoto| l don't know. 1hon wo tr|od to got a ca|| out to 0on
Ardon, but tho hoto| had boon phonod by tho c|ub and thoy b|ockod our ca||s. Wo a|| wont: 'Oh,
God. low what?'
1hoy throw us out ot tho hoto|, bocauso thoy had t|os w|th th|s c|ub. 1ho Vat|a woro |nvo|vod |n
that, |t was a hoavy scono. Wo got on tho tour bus and tr|od to t|nd somowhoro to stay, but
nobody wou|d havo us. Wo drovo tor agos and agos and somohow wo ondod up stay|ng about
a hundrod yards trom whoro wo woro or|g|na||y. Wo managod to got 0on on tho phono and ho
sa|d: 'l'|| sond somobody ovor.'
|o arrangod th|s toam ot o|ght Gorman hoav|os to como ovor. And, suro onough, |n tho
m|dd|o ot tho n|ght, stra|ght away, boom, thoro thoy woro. 1ho hoad guy was o|dor, groy ha|r,
g|assos, vory wo|| drossod, and ho sa|d: '1ust stay |n tho rooms and don't movo. l'|| go and soo
thom.'
0on had to|d mo: '1h|s man |s vory sor|ous.'
3upposod|y ho had k|||od such and such a numbor ot poop|o and l thought, oh tuck, wo don't
want to got |nto that! 3o l sa|d to h|m: 'God, sort |t out but don't go thoro. l|oaso don't mako |t
any worso than |t a|roady |s.'
|o sa|d: '1hoy'|| ||ston to mo.'
|o was a |ovo|y guy and l got a|ong t|no w|th h|m, but |t was ||ko somoth|ng you'd soo |n a
mov|o. Wo p|ayod tho bu||r|ng on tho n|ght and l thought, oh doar, wo'ro |n tho opon a|r, wo
mossod w|th tho wrong poop|o, wo'ro go|ng to got murdorod! 3ut tho Gormans wont around a||
tho ontrancos and a|| tho dross|ng rooms and socurod tho who|o p|aco. 1hoy woro roa|
protoss|ona|s.
1ho worst ot |t was, wo had a guy trom tho Lol|y Vol| travo|||ng around w|th us. |o saw a|| th|s
and roportod |t a|| |n tho papor. |o camo |n to do somo photographs and a ||tt|o story about
p|ay|ng |n tho bu||r|ng, but ho got a |ot moro than that.
ln Octobor wo took tho who|o 3tonohongo th|ng to Amor|ca. Wo had carpontors on |t and a
b|g crow to sot |t a|| up, but on most g|gs |t just wou|dn' t work. 1ho co|umns at tho back woro too
h|gh and wo ondod up just us|ng tho onos that ho|d my and Goozor's cab|nots, but ovon thoso
woro mass|vo. At tho ond ot tho tour wo tr|od to g|vo |t a|| away to tho poop|o who had bought
london 3r|dgo and roassomb|od |t |n Ar|zona, but thoy d|dn't want |t. Wo cou|dn't tako |t back to
Eng|and, so tho crow dumpod |t ott at tho docks somowhoro and |ott |t. 1ust r|d|cu|ous. Wo
abandonod 3tonohongo r|ght thoro |n Amor|ca.
l d|dn't soo tho mov|o 5ploo| 7op unt|| |ator. 0on Ardon sa|d to mo: 'Wo'vo got a tront covor to
do tomorrow.'
l sa|d: 'Okay. Vo and Goozor?'
'W|th 3p|na| 1ap.'
'3p|na| 1ap? Who tho b|oody ho|| |s 3p|na| 1ap?'
l don't th|nk ovon ho know at tho t|mo.
'l th|nk |t's somo up-and-com|ng band and thoy havo a mov|o com|ng out.'
'And wo aro do|ng a tront covor w|th thom? Wo'vo novor hoard ot thom!'
Vo and Goozor d|d tho shoot w|th thom anyway, wh|ch was tunny, but l st||| d|dn't havo tho
ta|ntost |doa who thoy woro. lt was on|y |ator whon l saw tho mov|o that l roa||sod what | t was a||
about and whoro thoy got tho |doa tor tho scono w|th tho t|ny 3tonohongo trom.
And thoy had a m|dgot as wo||.
3ocauso tho Boto Agolo a|bum covor had a p|cturo ot th|s rod baby w|th c|aws and ||tt|o
dov||'s horns, 0on Ardon's |doa was to rocroato th|s baby on stago. 3o ono n|ght at a g|g ho
sa|d: 'l want to show you somoth|ng.'
'Okay.'
|o mado lan and mo wa|t outs|do th|s room and t|na||y sa|d: 'Okay, you can como |n now.'
Wo wont |n, |t was dark and wo just saw thoso rod oyos, poor|ng at us.
'3||moy!'
Wo put tho ||ght on and thoro was th|s m|dgot |n a rubbor outt|t who |ookod ||ko tho baby on tho
covor. Wo thought, tuck|ng ho||, 0on's gono ovor tho top! |o sa|d: 'lt's go|ng to bo a groat
add|t|on to tho show!'
1ho |doa was that tho m|dgot wou|d c||mb up tho 18-toot-h|gh co|umns, run across thom, and
thon jump ott thom on to tho drum r|sor, wh|ch was about ha|tway down tho stago. And thon ho'd
jump ott tho r|sor to tho tront ot tho stago, |ook at tho aud|onco, cry, and h|s oyos wou|d ||ght up
and tho show wou|d start.
1ho m|dgot was a b|t ot a pop star, bocauso ho'd boon ono ot tho ||tt|o boars |n 5tot ots.
Ozzy at tho t|mo a|so took a m|dgot out on tho road, l th|nk ho ca||od h|m lonn|o. l don't know
who had tho t|rst ono, roa||y. lt bocamo a th|ng. V|dgots woro |n domand. 3ut wo had tho most
tamous m|dgot bocauso ours was |n 5tot ots.
'Who's got tho most tamous m|dgot?'
'Wo havo!'
|o kopt r|bb|ng tho crow w|th |t: 'l'vo boon |n tho mov|os!'
1hoy roa||y d|dn't caro about that at a||, so thoy d|d a|| mannor ot th|ngs to th|s poor guy. Ono
n|ght thoy |ockod h|m |n a t||ght caso.
'What's happonod to tho m|dgot?'
lobody cou|d t|nd h|m. 1ho ||tt|o guy noar|y suttocatod.
1hon anothor day l wont down tor a sound chock and l cou|d hoar: '|o|p! |o|p!'
l |ookod up and thoy had h|m hang|ng ovor tho stago on a cha|n, ups|do down. 1ho poor
buggor, ho roa||y took somo st|ck. lt was bocom|ng a roa| th|ng tor tho crow: 'What can wo do to
h|m noxt?'
Wo t|na||y doc|dod |t was bost tor a|| part|os concornod |t ho |ott, ospoc|a||y attor tho crow
doc|dod to put tho ||ghts out on h|m at tho vory momont that ho jumpod trom tho co|umns on to
tho drum r|sor. |o wont: 'Aaaaaah!'
3p|at!
|o caught tho odgo ot tho drum r|sor and noar|y broko h|s nock. Voanwh||o, wo woro
backstago wa|t|ng to como on and |t just b|ow tho show. Wo sa|d: '1hat's |t, ho's gono!'
1hoy wou|d havo k|||od h|m |t wo hadn't t|rod h|m.
Up unt|| that po|nt l had a|ways workod w|th poop|o who woro comp|oto|y comm|ttod. look|ng
back at |t now, |t doosn't |ook as |t lan was. l th|nk ho had a ba|| and d|d h|s bost, but ho know a||
a|ong that ho was go|ng to got out. And wo novor thought, oh, ho's go|ng to bo horo tor ton yoars.
W|th th|s ||no-up wo just sot out to soo whoro |t was go|ng. Wo d|d ono a|bum, tourod tor a yoar
and that was |t. Wo d|dn't know unt|| tho vory ond that lan was go|ng back to 0oop lurp|o, but |t
had run |ts courso by that po|nt. 3o|ng w|th lurp|o, that was h|s g|g. Wo d|dn't roa||y th|nk about
do|ng anothor a|bum togothor, wo novor had t|ghts, wo got on groat and wo st||| do. Wo had a
tantast|c t|mo and moro |aughs than ovor. Wo just took |t day by day. And tho |ast ot thoso days
camo |n Varch 1084, whon wo had our t|na| g|g togothor |n Vassachusotts.
1hat was tho ond tor lan, and tor 3ov as wo||.
58
Laat man atanding
l|ght attor lan G|||an |ott, wo mot up w|th Ozzy to ta|k about gott|ng tho o|d band back togothor
aga|n. Wo'vo had ono or two t|mos ||ko that, whoro wo d|scussod h|m com|ng back. lt |t had
boon up to us, |t wou|d havo happonod. 3ut 0on wou|dn't havo anyth|ng to do w|th 3haron and
3haron wou|dn't havo anyth|ng to do w|th 0on. lt was a|ways thoso stup|d managomonts boot|ng
on about somoth|ng that stoppod us trom do|ng what wo wantod to do.
Wo st||| noodod a now s|ngor, so out |n lA mo and Goozor ||stonod to tapos aga|n, boxos and
boxos ot thom, sont to us by a|| thoso young guys who woro droam|ng about jo|n|ng 3|ack
3abbath. 1h|s ono guy ca||od lon Koo| sont a tapo |n and l sa|d to Goozor: '1h|s |ad's protty
good. |avo a ||ston to h|m.'
|o p|ayod |t and sa|d: 'Oh, yoah!'
Wo wont out tor d|nnor and dr|nks w|th h|m. ln tho courso ot tho ovon|ng l sa|d to lon: 'l roa||y
||ko tho stutt you sont.'
'Oh, thanks.'
l sa|d: 'l ||ko that th|rd track, so-and-so . . .'
And ho wont: '1hat's not mo.'
'What do you moan |t's not you? lt's on your tapo!'
|o sa|d: 'l'm on tho othor s|do.'
|o'd sont tho tapo w|th h|m on ono s|do and anothor, d|ttoront s|ngor on tho othor. 3o wo
mado a r|ght boo-boo thoro. lon actua||y d|d havo a caroor |ator, bocauso ho's a good s|ngor
as wo||. |o just wasn't what wo woro |ook|ng tor at tho t|mo. Wo novor t|gurod out who tho othor
guy was, but attor th|s happonod wo'd had onough, so wo got a producor to try out tho s|ngors
who had sont |n good tapos. lt's ||ko do|ng 7bo X loctot: you go through a|| thoso k|ds who s|ng
|n tho bathroom and th|nk thoy aro groat. Vost ot thom woro rubb|sh.
Wo wantod somobody who |ookod r|ght, had a good vo|co and cou|d s|ng tho o|d songs,
bocauso that's what poop|o wantod to hoar as wo||. Whon lonn|o 1amos 0|o camo |nto |t, ho
was so d|ttoront trom Ozzy, but ho cou|d st||| s|ng thoso o|d songs |n h|s way and |t soundod r|ght.
Vost ot tho poop|o wo tr|od just d|dn't sound r|ght. A |ot ot thom cou|dn't roach tho h|gh notos.
Como to th|nk ot |t, that was ono ot tho th|ngs V|chao| 3o|ton actua||y cou|d do.
Wo gavo tho most prom|s|ng onos wo aud|t|onod a ||tt|o oxtra t|mo. l|ko 0av|d 0onato, who
wo a||owod a coup|o ot wooks to sott|o |n. Wo a|so rocordod a coup|o ot tracks w|th h|m. Ono ot
tho songs was 'lo Way Out', wh|ch, attor many changos, turnod |nto '1ho 3h|n|ng' ott tho Etotoo|
loo| a|bum. 0|ttoront voca|s, d|ttoront |yr|cs, d|ttoront arrangomont, but st||| tho |n|t|a| r|tt. 0avo
|ookod r|ght and ho was a n|co onough |ad, but ho had a b|t ot a strango, h|gh vo|co. 3otoro wo
know |t, 0on Ardon a|roady had Kottoog! magaz|no do|ng photos, ovon though wo woro go|ng:
'Wo don't want to ro|oaso thoso yot, ho's not a dot|n|to yot!'
And, suro onough, bang, ho was out. Attor m||||ons ot tapos and count|oss aud|t|ons, wo st|||
hadn't tound ourso|vos a s|ngor. 3ut our drummor prob|om had boon sortod, bocauso 3| || had
como back. Or so wo thought. ln tho summor ot 1084 ho |ott aga|n. ln and out ||ko a yo-yo ho
was. 3||| |s ono ot thoso poop|o who |s d|tt|cu|t to undorstand somot|mos. Evon attor a|| tho yoars
l'vo known h|m, l st||| novor know what |t |s that makos h|m t|ck. And r|ght attor 3|||, Goozor wont
as wo||.
3ut l d|dn't |oavo. 1ho on|y porson |ott stand|ng was mo.
Vug!
50
1ho myatorioua caao ot tho Iotty Iodgora
Attor t|n|sh|ng tho 3orn Aga|n tour l rontod a houso |n 3o| A|r. lt was a wondortu| p|aco, but l
hoard thoso no|sos a|| tho t|mo, poop|o ta|k|ng and bumps |n tho n|ght. l'd |ook around tho houso
but nobody wou|d bo thoro.
'3||moy, whoro doos that como trom?'
Wo|rd th|ngs happonod. l camo back ono n|ght trom rohoarsa|, wa|kod |nto tho k|tchon and
tound a p|a|t ot ha|r on tho k|tchon tab|o, a coup|o ot toot |ong. l|ko a ponyta||.
'|ow d|d that got thoro?'
Anothor n|ght l camo homo and tound tho samo sort ot th|ng wrappod around tho hand|o ot tho
tront door. l cou|dn't oxp|a|n |t.
l cou|d novor t|guro out tho sound ot poop|o ta|k|ng |n tho houso. l ca||od tho 3o| A|r po||co
ovory t|mo l hoard |t. At t|rst thoy'd go around tho houso: noth|ng. 3ut thoy novor chockod tho |ott.
And attor a wh||o thoy'd como around and go: 'Oh, |t's h|m aga|n.'
l got so concornod about |t that l ovon stayod down at my tr|ond's houso a coup|o ot t|mos. |o
had a b|oody armoury thoro. |o had rovo|vors and pump-act|on shotguns and, just ||ko |n tho
mov|os, a ||tt|o gun |n a book. |o sa|d: 'l'|| como up w|th you and wo'|| havo a |ook. l'|| br|ng my
gun.'
And so ho d|d. |o sat thoro |n tho |oungo a|| n|ght. loth|ng happonod. l thought, ho th|nks l am
|oony now. |o |ott and tho noxt day |t startod aga|n.
l thon h|rod a socur|ty guard. 1ho sauna ovor|ookod tho sw|mm|ng poo|, so l put h|m |n thoro. l
sa|d: 'lt you soo anyth|ng, |ot mo know.'
Attor a wh||o ho got tod up and sa|d: '|oy, man, l can't stay horo a|| n|ght!'
l wh|sporod: '3hhhh, wo'ro try|ng to catch somobody!'
l was go|ng to oxtromos to t|nd out who thoso poop|o woro. Attor tho socur|ty guy |ott, l had
ono ot tho crow stay w|th mo, but ho wou|d bo snor|ng away so |oud|y that ho cou|dn't hoar
anyth|ng. ||na||y, Vark gavo mo a Vagnum. l s|opt w|th th|s hugo gun |n my hand. Ono n|ght l
hoard th|s horrondous no|so. l grabbod Vark's gun and l dashod to tho car w|th no sh|rt on and
as l drovo out l |ookod back and l saw a|| thoso tacos |n tho k|tchon w|ndow, |ook|ng out at mo. lt
troakod mo out. l drovo stra|ght down to tho po||co, thoy camo up and: noth|ng. Gono!
1hon l tound out that tho w|ros ot tho burg|ar a|arm had boon cut |ns|do tho houso. l shou|d
havo movod out roa||y, but thon l had Goott l|cho||s to stay w|th mo. l just wantod somobody to
soo somoth|ng, |t on|y to provo that l was not crazy. l roa||y thought l was go|ng |oopy and so d|d
ovorybody o|so.
Ono n|ght Goott and mo woro |n tho |oungo at two o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng and wo saw th|s
b|oko runn|ng across tho |awn.
|uck|ng ho||, t|na||y!
l got my gun and wo oponod tho door s|ow|y. Wo s||ppod out and craw|od across tho grass.
1ho houso was bu||t on a h||| and wo cou|d hoar ta|k|ng down bo|ow. l wh|sporod to Goott: 'A||
r|ght, wo'vo got a gun and whon thoy como up . . .'
Wo must havo boon |y|ng thoro tor about an hour wa|t|ng tor thoso poop|o to appoar, and thon
tho spr|nk|ors camo on. lt was ||ko a lauro| and |ardy sk|t, both ot us go|ng: 'Waah!'
Wo woro soakod and, ot courso, attor that wo novor tound thom. 3ut at |oast Goott had soon
somobody as wo||. lt wasn't just mo any moro.
Ono n|ght a guy trom tho crow bu||t th|s trap |n tho gardon. |o mado a|| thoso z|gzags ot w|ro
a|| across tho yard and |t took h|m a|| day to do |t. 1ho |doa was that |t somobody camo across
ho'd got stuck |n |t and l wou|d bo ab|o to soo h|m.
l hoard a no|so. l ca||od tho po||co. 1hoy camo ovor. And thon thoy got stuck |n |t.
l wont out w|th my gun and tho po||co woro go|ng: '0rop tho gun, drop tho gun!'
'lo, no, l ||vo horo!'
'0rop tho gun!'
1hoy cou|d havo shot mo. l cou|d havo shot thom as wo||, como to th|nk ot |t.
1h|s th|ng wont on tor months. Evontua||y wo tound a trapdoor. Upsta|rs thoro was a c|noma
room w|th a b|g scroon. ln tho wa|| thoro was a cutout, and bocauso |t was a|| paporod you
cou|dn't roa||y soo |t. Wo oponod th|s th|ng, stoppod through |t, and wo cou|d wa|k a|| around tho
houso. lt was qu|to a b|g aroa, you cou|d v|rtua||y stand up thoro. Wo tound a|| thoso p||os ot
c|garotto butts and boor cans outs|do tho vonts, through wh|ch you cou|d |ook |nto tho rooms.
1hoy had obv|ous|y boon s|tt|ng thoro, soo|ng ovoryth|ng l d|d. |uck|ng ho||, thoy cou|d probab|y
to|| a tow stor|os.
l was ro||ovod that wo tound that somobody had boon thoro and that tho po||co cou|d t|na||y
soo that as wo||. 1hoy novor tound out who |t was. 1hoy sa|d attorwards that tho oas|ost th|ng tor
mo wou|d havo boon to got a dog. W|th a dog l'd havo tound thom |n no t|mo. low why tho ho||
d|dn't l th|nk ot that?
lt mado mo so parano|d that l ovontua||y movod |nto a hoto|. 1ho t|rst th|ng l d|d thoro was tapo
a|| tho vonts up. l just had a torr|b|o toar ot |t, so thoro l was, roast|ng at tho hoto|. Evon now l'vo
got camoras around my houso ovorywhoro, l'vo got tho gatos and tho dogs. And |t's a|| down to
that oxpor|onco.
00
LovoIy Lita
l|ta |ord oponod tor us on tho 3orn Aga|n tour. Wo got togothor attor a show to havo a chat,
and wo h|t |t ott. lt dovo|opod |nto a ro|at|onsh|p and whon l ||vod |n 3o| A|r, |n tho houso w|th tho
poop|o |n tho |ott, sho camo to v|s|t mo thoro. Attor l movod out ot thoro and got a ponthouso at
Croscont |o|ghts and 3unsot |n lA, sho movod |n w|th mo. l was st||| marr|od to Vo||nda at tho
t|mo. Wo had sp||t up, but |t took mo a |ong t|mo to got a d|vorco, so l supposo tochn|ca||y l was
comm|tt|ng adu|tory. l|ta and l ovon got ongagod, but wo cou|dn't do any moro than that unt|| l
got d|vorcod.
l|ta ho|pod us |ook tor a now s|ngor. 3ho know a coup|o ot poop|o wo cou|d try, but attor 3|||
and Goozor |ott l was |n nood ot a who|o now band. lt was hor |doa to |ot mo uso tho drummor
and tho bass p|ayor ot hor band, Er|c 3|ngor and Gordon Cop|oy. Er|c wantod to p|ay |n my
band moro than ho d|d |n l|ta's, so ho sa|d to mo: 'lt you want a drummor, l wou|d bo |ntorostod.'
|o ondod up work|ng w|th mo tor qu|to a wh||o. l|ta thon |ookod at |t as, oh, ho's n|ckod my
drummor. 3ho got tho hump about |t so bad, that our broak-up camo ma|n|y trom that.
At tho t|mo l was do|ng a |ot ot drugs aga|n, wh|ch was a|so hard tor hor. Vo and Goott
l|cho||s wou|d bo at tho ponthouso a |ot, try|ng to wr|to somoth|ng and do|ng coko at tho samo
t|mo. Evory t|mo l|ta camo homo, Goott wou|d bo thoro. lt |ookod ||ko l was moro |nvo|vod w|th
h|m than l was w|th hor.
Vo and Goott woro |n tho ponthouso ono day and l put tho cha|ns on tho door and somoth|ng
up aga|nst |t, bocauso you got parano|d whon you do a |ot ot coko. Wo woro work|ng on a song
whon wo hoard th|s |oud bang. lt was l|ta. 3ho cou|dn't opon tho door and pushod |t so hard that
tho who|o r|m ot tho door camo ott, w|th tho cha|ns and ovoryth|ng. And thon sho got p|ssod ott,
bocauso wo woro at |t aga|n.
lt was a shamo, roa||y, bocauso l mossod up tho ro|at|onsh|p by bo|ng constant|y out ot |t. 3ho
was a n|co g|r| and wo got on wo||. lt just startod com|ng apart, corta|n|y whon tho Er|c th|ng
happonod. Wo woro togothor tor about two yoars. 1hon wo wont our soparato ways. l|ta was
|ator managod by 3haron Ardon. 3ho phonod mo and sa|d: 'l'm |ook|ng tor a managor. What
about 3haron?'
l sa|d: 'l don't know. lt's up to you.'
3haron got l|ta to do a song w|th Ozzy that wont to lo. 1, so sho d|d a|| r|ght tor hor. |or a
wh||o. Unt|| sho droppod hor.
01
1ogothor again, tor a day
l was |n tho m|dd|o ot do|ng my a|bum whon thoy askod us to portorm at a hugo show. A|| thoso
poop|o woro do|ng |t and |t was tor a vory good causo. l sa|d: '3ounds good. lot's do |t.'
3o, |n 1u|y 108b, tho or|g|na| 3|ack 3abbath ||no-up got back togothor tor a ono-ott g|g at l|vo
A|d |n lh||ado|ph|a. Wo probab|y thought that |t m|ght bo tho t|rst stop towards gott|ng back
togothor aga|n. Wo got on wo|| whon wo saw oach othor thoro and l th|nk wo a|| hopod |t wou|d
happon, but tho powors that bo havo to a||ow you to do |t. lt has to bo |n a|d ot char|ty, othorw|so
managomont wou|d th|nk somobody was mak|ng monoy out ot |t and |t wou|dn't happon. And
thoro was no groator char|ty causo than l|vo A|d.
1ho organ|sat|on ottorod us a t|mo s|ot |n a rohoarsa| tac|||ty. Wo got to tho spaco and woro
supposod to rohoarso throo songs. lnstoad ot do|ng that wo ondod up ta|k|ng about o|d t|mos.
Wo woro thoro chatt| ng away, thon wo p|ayod tor a b|t and thon stoppod whon somobody wou|d
say: 'Oh, romombor so-and-so?'
lot much ot a rohoarsa|, roa||y.
1h|s g|r| camo |n and stood at tho back, watch|ng. l mont|onod th|s to somobody: 'Can you to||
hor th|s |s a c|osod soss|on?'
l d|dn't know who |t was. 3ho had dyod hor ha|r dark and |ookod noth|ng ||ko Vadonna, but |t
was Vadonna and sho wasn't vory happy about bo|ng tossod out.
Wo wont back to tho bar attorwards, had a groat t|mo togothor and got so||d|y s|oshod. 1ho
noxt day wo woro on at somoth|ng ||ko ton o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng. l had a droadtu| hangovor so l
put my dark g|assos on, and thon wo p|ayod 'Ch||dron Ot 1ho Gravo', 'lron Van' and 'larano|d'
|n tho br|ght sun||ght. lt was a groat th| ng to do and wo woro corta|n|y awaro ot tho |mportanco ot
tho occas|on, but |t was ovor vory qu|ck|y.
Voanwh||o, 0on had |ssuod Ozzy w|th a wr|t, bocauso ho thought wo woro go|ng to got
togothor aga|n and that 3haron was go|ng to manago us. 0on wantod to stop anyth|ng
happon|ng, bocauso ho mado h|s po|nt that ho managod mo and that thoro was no way wo woro
go|ng to do anyth|ng w|thout h|m. 0on and 3haron - thoy woro both as parano|d as oach othor.
0on sont a wr|t to Ozzy, tho guy who prosontod |t r|ght thoro at l|vo A|d |ookod ||ko a tan, so
Ozzy thought ho wantod h|s autograph and s|gnod |t. l d|dn' t actua||y soo tho wr|t, as 3haron
wh|ppod that away r|ght qu|ck.
lt put a ||tt|o b|t ot a damponor on tho occas|on.
l don't know whothor l|vo A|d mado a d|ttoronco. You do tho th|ng, thoy ra|so tho monoy and
what happons thon? 1hoy buy tho tood or whatovor thoy nood, but you'ro novor 100 por cont
suro who gots what. 3ut l th|nk |t was a good th|ng to do anyway.
Wo got to lh|||y, had a drunkon n|ght, got hung ovor, d|d tho g|g and d|sappoarod. 1ho subjoct
ot gott|ng back togothor d|dn't ovon como up. l got on tho p|ano back homo and d|dn't soo thom
aga|n tor yoars.
02
1winkIo twinkIo 5ovonth 5tar
l was now tho on|y guy |ott |n 3|ack 3abbath. W|thout a band, l got tho |doa ot do|ng a so|o a|bum
w|th a|| d|ttoront s|ngors. l mado a ||st ot poop|o l wantod, ||ko lobort l|ant, lob |a|tord, 0av|d
Covorda|o and G|onn |ughos, but |t oponod a hugo can ot worms try|ng to got somobody to
s|ng. l ran |nto a|| sorts ot contractua| stutt, tho rocord compan|os d|dn't |ot thom, so |t was: 'Oh
no, wo aro do|ng an a|bum, l can't s|ng on yours.'
Evontua||y tho |doa was droppod. Wo thon tr|od th|s guy ca||od 1ott |onho|t. |o was anothor
ono who had p|ayod tho |oad |n 1osos Cbtlst 5opotstot, |n tho 3roadway vors|on ot that mus|ca|.
3o wo had had lan G|||an, who was tho or|g|na| 1osus Chr|st 3uporstar, and horo wo had tho
3roadway 1osus want|ng to jo|n 3|ack 3abbath. Wo tr|od 1ott out and ho had a good vo|co. l cut
a coup|o ot domos w|th h|m |n los Ango|os. Ono ot tho tracks was '3tar Ot lnd|a', wh|ch |ator
turnod |nto '3ovonth 3tar'. Anothor ono was 'Eyo Ot 1ho 3torm', wh|ch ondod up on tho a|bum
as '1urn 1o 3tono'. And wo had a track that ovontua||y turnod |nto '0angor Zono'. Ot courso
thoso domos got out and tound tho|r way on to a boot|og a|bum. Aga|n. 1hoy ca||od |t Elgbtb
5tot or somoth|ng ||ko that.
1ott soomod a n|co onough guy. lt m|ght havo workod w|th h|m, ovon though l wasn't 100 por
cont conv|ncod that ho'd bo ab|o to do our o|dor stutt. 3ut thon 1ott G||xman camo |n to produco
tho a|bum and ho d|dn't th|nk |onho|t was work|ng out, rocord|ng-w|so. And that was that.
A ||tt|o |ator 1ott |onho|t suddon|y bocamo th|s b|g 1v ovango||st. l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t, bocauso
whon wo mot h|m ho was say|ng th|ngs ||ko: 'Oh yoah, l tuckod that ch|ck.'
1ho Now Yotk 7lmos d|d a th|ng about h|m bo|ng w|th 3|ack 3abbath and thoy wroto that ho
saw tho ||ght, rojoctod ov|| and a|| th|s bo||ocks. Wo woro r|ght back |n tho satan|sm th|ng
bocauso |onho|t was go|ng on about |t. l was gott|ng phono ca||s to do Lotty Kl og Llvo about
h|m. l thought, l'm not gott|ng |nvo|vod |n that! You try and ta|k ro||g|on on 1v |n Amor|ca and you
havo no chanco. Espoc|a||y h|m bo|ng an ovango||st now, thoy'ro a|| go|ng to s|do w|th h|m and l
won't havo a |og to stand on!
Around tho t|mo wo d|d somo domos l thought Goozor was go|ng to roturn. ||s w|to and
managor, G|or|a, sa|d ho wantod to como back as wo||. 3ut tho noxt th|ng l know, ho had jo|nod
Ozzy.
'3|oody ho||, what happonod!?'
G|onn |ughos was, as l'vo sa|d, ono ot tho s|ngors on my w|sh ||st. |o camo |n and sang, and
l thought, b|oody ho||, ho's good! |o was so |mpross|vo that l thought |t wou|d bo groat to uso
G|onn on a|| tho songs ot what was to bocomo tho 5ovootb 5tot a|bum. 3ut |t was d|tt|cu|t to
work w|th h|m. |uck|ng ho||, ho d|d ton t|mos moro coko than mo!
lt just turnod |nto a n|ghtmaro. |o'd go: 'l'vo got th|s |doa, l'vo got th|s |doa!'
|o'd snort a b|g ||no and say, a|| hypor: 'l|ston to th|s, ||ston to th|s!'
'Yoah, okay. Good.'
'Yoah, but l'vo got th|s othor ono, ||ston to th|s!'
|o drovo you up tho wa||. Evon ho h|mso|t now says: 'l don't know how you put up w|th |t.'
What mado |t ovon worso was that ho had a|| thoso hangors-on com|ng down to tho stud|o as
wo||. l tr|od to got r|d ot thom, bocauso l cou|d soo that thoy woro just |oochos. l guoss ho cou|d
attord th|s b|g ontourago at tho t|mo, as ho'd just como ott tho 0oop lurp|o th|ng, but |t d|dn't
|ast. |o |ost a |ot ot monoy and ondod up so|||ng a|| h|s stutt.
Whon wo woro do|ng 5ovootb 5tot, wo rocordod tho a|bum w|th G|onn |ughos and Er|c
3|ngor, and wo had 0avo 3p|tz on bass, a good p|ayor wo'd tound through 1ott G||xman. lt was a
t|rst tor mo to p|ay w|th mus|c|ans that young. l was th|rty-sovon at tho t|mo, and 0avo and Er|c
woro about ton yoars youngor than mo. lt to|t tunny bocauso, whon l ta|kod about o|d t|mos, thoy
d|dn't know what l was on about. 1hoy wou|d ask mo stutt and l'd start ta|k|ng away and thon l'd
t|nd out, hang on, thoy havon't got a c|uo, l can't go back that tar bocauso thoy can't ro|ato to that.
'lomombor so-and-so?'
'lo, wo don't.'
'Oh . . . you torgot.'
And thon l'd roa||so, b|oody ho||, thoy woron't ovon born thon!
Wo startod rocord|ng |n lA, but wo t|na||sod tho a|bum |n At|anta, Goorg|a, bocauso 1ott
G||xman cou|d got a good doa| on a stud|o thoro. 1ho bas|c tracks had boon dono a|roady, so
on|y mo and G|onn wont down thoro. l had takon th|s b|g storoo to At|anta w|th mo. G|onn had
noth|ng to p|ay h|s stutt on, so l |ont |t to h|m. l had just bought |t and ho swappod |t tor somo
coko. l sa|d to G|onn: 'What happonod to my storoo?'
'l |ont |t to somobody.'
'Oh . . .'
1hon l saw th|s coko doa|or w|th my storoo and put two and two togothor. G|onn was
uncontro||ab|o, but ho sang ||ko a droam and abso|uto|y ottort|oss|y. |o'd s|t |n tho stud|o,
s|ouch|ng, w|th a m|c, and . . . s|ng! 1ust |ncrod|b|o, a God-g|von vo|co.
Wo d|dn't tako a |ong t|mo rocord|ng tho a|bum: somo tracks woro actua||y dono |n tho t|rst or
socond tako. Wo a|so tr|od to t|n|sh qu|ck|y bocauso l pa|d tor |t a||. 1ho rocord company camo
up w|th a good advanco |ator, but l trontod ovoryth|ng myso|t.
Wo t|n|shod 5ovootb 5tot |n August 108b. Gordon Cop|oy's or|g|na| bass p|ay|ng |s on 'lo
3trangor 1o lovo'. Wo kopt that trom tho vory t|rst soss|ons. lt just soomod to go wo|| w|th that
track. l thought |t was a groat song, but what l d|dn't ||ko was do|ng tho v|doo tor |t. 1ho t|rst day
thoy took somo tootago ot mo and G|onn p|ay|ng away. 1ho noxt day l had to bo thoro at
somoth|ng ||ko b.80 a.m. to do th|s shoot w|th tho g|r| trom 5tot 7tok, 0on|so Crosby, 3|ng's
granddaughtor. l'm not vory good at v|doos anyway, but l had to do th|s |ovo scono w|th hor,
wh|ch was vory ombarrass|ng. 1hoy put th|s b|ack oyo||nor on mo and ovoryth|ng o|so. lt wasn't
what wo woro a|| about at a||, and l hatod |t. 1o mako mattors ovon worso, thoy had mo wa|k |nto
los Ango|os cana|s at sovon o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng, |n tho trooz|ng co|d w|th m|st r|s|ng. l had
just bought thoso now boots so thoy woro wo|| and tru|y knackorod attor that.
5ovootb 5tot was ro|oasod |n 1anuary 1080. lt was supposod to bo a so|o a|bum. l corta|n|y
d|dn't want to ro|oaso |t as a 3|ack 3abbath a|bum, bocauso l hadn't wr|tton |t as a 3|ack
3abbath a|bum. l wantod tho troodom tor |t to sound as |t d|d and tour w|thout ca|||ng tho band
3|ack 3abbath, a|so bocauso G|onn was uncomtortab|o about that. 3ut whon tho quost|on ot tho
namo camo up, 0on sa|d to mo: '1ho rocord company says that you owo thom a 3|ack 3abbath
a|bum, so thoy want th|s ono.'
'Ah . . .'
ln tho ond |t was b|||od as '3|ack 3abbath toatur|ng 1ony lomm|'. lo|thor l nor G|onn was
p|oasod w|th |t, bocauso wo to|t wo woron't do|ng tho rocord just|co prosont|ng |t th|s way. And to
go out and p|ay 'War l|gs' and 'lron Van' - |t just wasn't r|ght.
5ovootb 5tot roachod lo. 27 |n Vay 1080 and |t droppod ott tho charts attor t|vo wooks. lot
roa||y a b|g so||or. l don't th|nk l ovon not|cod |t, bocauso ot a|| tho aggro wo had w|th|n tho band.
Wo had a tour com|ng up, but somobody was about to choko on |t.
08
CIonn taIIa, but thoro ia a Ray ot hoo
1ho 3ovonth 3tar tour k|ckod ott |n C|ovo|and, Oh|o, |n Varch 1080. Wo had a b|g stago sot w|th
|asors and ovoryth|ng. 0on Ardon's |doa aga|n, but l had to pay tor |t a||. Ot courso. 1o say tho
tour got ott to a bad start |s an undorstatomont, bocauso |t wont d|sastrous w|th G|onn. l had
h|rod th|s bodyguard ca||od 0oug Go|dsto|n, who |ator managod Guns l' losos, to watch h|m
and to koop a|| tho hangors-on away trom h|m. 3ut no soonor d|d tho tour start than G|onn
d|sappoarod back to At|anta. 0oug brought h|m back just |n t|mo tor tho show. Wo woro at tho
s|do ot tho stago and ho wont: 'l can't go on, l can't go on.'
3o l ||tora||y throw h|m on: 'Got out thoro!'
l hatod bo|ng ||ko that but l had to do |t.
0oug Go|dsto|n ondod up do|ng a|| sorts ot th|ngs to p|n G|onn down. Wh||o stay|ng |n rooms
w|th adjo|n|ng doors, ho actua||y attachod a str|ng to h|s too and t|od |t to G|onn's hoto| room
door, so as soon as G|onn movod 0oug wou|d know about |t. lt was a b|oody n|ghtmaro. 3ut
G|onn was cunn|ng, ho managod to got drug doa|ors |n somohow.
l wasn't thoro whon |t a|| happonod. l just know that our stago managor, 1ohn 0own|ng, ondod
up thump|ng G|onn on tho day botoro tho t|rst show. 1ohn was tough, vory torcotu|, and ho cou|d
hand|o h|mso|t. |o was good at what ho d|d. |o had workod tor 1|m| |ondr|x and 1ho Vovo |n
tho past. 1ohn sa|d that ho cou|dn't contro| G|onn and that ho took a sw|ng at h|m, so ho c|ockod
h|m. 1hat was 1ohn 0own|ng's s|do ot |t, but ho |s doad now so wo can't ask h|m about |t any
moro. |o drownod. Wh||o ho was on tour |n Europo, 1ohn had had a row w|th somo boot|oggors
and whon ho was com|ng back to Eng|and on tho torry, thoy woro on tho samo boat. 1ho story
goos that thoso boot|oggors |obbod h|m ovorboard and h|s body was washod up a coup|o ot
days |ator.
1ohn broko G|onn's noso. 0on Ardon apparont|y sa|d to 1ohn: '|o had to go on stago, why
d|dn't you thump h|m |n tho back ot tho hoad?'
1yp|ca|!
G|onn c|a|mod that tho b|ow causod a b|ood c|ot |n h|s throat. 3uro: ot courso |t wasn't tho
coko. lt obv|ous|y attoctod h|s vo|co. lt doos somot|mos, |t dr|os your throat up. G|onn |s such a
groat s|ngor but ho was just unab|o to portorm. On top ot that, ho was gott|ng oxtromo|y
parano|d. l spoko to 0on about |t, and l sa|d: 'Wo aro go|ng to havo to pu|| tho shows.'
'Wo can't pu|| tho shows. lt wo do, thoy'|| suo us!'
'Oh . . . tuck|ng ho||!'
l s|mp|y cou|dn't attord to run that r|sk, so what wo had to do was |ocato anothor s|ngor and
br|ng h|m |n a coup|o ot days botoro wo actua||y t| rod G|onn. 1h|s way wo'd bo ab|o to got h|m to
soo tho show and soo how |t a|| workod, botoro tak|ng ovor. Wo'd go down to tho g|g |n tho
attornoon to rohoarso w|th h|m, to got h|m |nto tho ro|o ot |t. 1hon, whon |t a|| happonod w|th
G|onn, tho now s|ngor wou|d bo ab|o to go on stago to cont|nuo w|th tho rost ot tho shows.
0avo 3p|tz know th|s young s|ngor ca||od lay G|||on trom a band |n low York. |o was a
good-|ook|ng guy w|th a groat vo|co. 1ho g|r|s |ovod h|m, and whon ho was w|th us thoro woro
suddon|y |ots ot womon com|ng to tho shows. Wo brought lay |n dur|ng tho attornoon ot our th|rd
show. Wo ran through tho songs and G|onn was wondor|ng what was go|ng on: 'Who |s that guy l
koop soo|ng?'
lt was roa||y awkward, but |t was tho on|y th|ng |ott tor us to do. lt was o|thor that or canco|
shows. Wo had to go on w|th G|onn and thon s|ot lay |n stra|ght away. lt was a|so d|tt|cu|t tor mo,
bocauso G|onn had a|ways boon a mato and l to|t roa||y undorhand do|ng |t. Wo'vo ta|kod about
|t s|nco and G|onn undorstands. Wo gavo h|m a|| thoso chancos and ho just buggorod thom up.
1hat th|rd g|g wont groat trom our s|do, but G|onn was so bad that n|ght that l had a row w|th
h|m attor tho show. l got angry bocauso ho was |ott|ng ovorybody down, |nc|ud|ng h|mso|t. |o
cou|d hard|y s|ng at a|| any moro and Goott had to tako ovor on somo ot tho voca|s. Ot courso ho
soundod noth|ng ||ko G|onn, but ho just tr|od to t|n|sh tho songs.
A |ot ot poop|o undorost|mato how tough you havo to bo whon you'ro |oad|ng a band. You
a|ways bocomo tho arsoho|o. loop|o don't undorstand, thoy'ro not thoro and thoy don't soo a||
tho th|ngs that aro happon|ng, why you ond up k|ck|ng somobody out. 3ut thoro's a roason why
thoy'ro not thoro any moro. E|thor thoy |oavo ot tho|r own accord, or thoy aro not pu|||ng tho|r
wo|ght and you got r|d ot thom, bocauso tho band has to carry on.
1ho g|g |n Worcostor, Vassachusotts, on 20 Varch was G|onn's |ast. Whon ho d|scovorod ho
was out, ho bangod on my door, scroam|ng: 'l know about th|s tuck|ng s|ngor!'
l thought, l'm not go|ng to answor |t now. |o was rag|ng!
|ato wou|d havo | t that our noxt g|g |n upstato low York was canco||od thanks to anothor
Chr|st|an protost, ono ot tho many t|mos that happonod to us. And tho |rony ot |t was that tho
canco||od g|g was |n a town w|th tho t|tt|ng namo ot G|ons |a||s. luck||y tor both ot us, ton yoars
|ator and tho drugs cons|gnod to h|story, wo'd hook up aga|n tor tho 0El stud|os soss|ons.
1hroo days attor Worcostor, lay G|||on d|d h|s t|rst show w|th us. |o was thrown |n at tho doop
ond, but ho d|d roa||y good. ||na||y wo had somobody aga|n who roa||y wantod to do |t and had
tho r|ght att|tudo. Evon so, t|ckot sa|os woron't vory good. W|th G|onn wo d|d b|g g|gs and wo d|d
good bus|noss. low wo woro tour|ng w|th an unknown guy, so tho |ntorost wont ott. lt took a|| that
t|mo to bu||d |t up, and thon |t a|| camo crash|ng down r|ght qu|ck. lt was appa|||ng. Wo had to pu||
tho tour |n tho ond, bocauso wo woro |os|ng too much monoy.
3ut wo so|d|orod on, start|ng our UK tour |n Vay, do|ng two|vo datos ond|ng w|th two shows at
tho |ammorsm|th Odoon |n london. 1ho ha||s woron't that b|g, but t|ckot sa|os woro a|| r|ght. Ot
courso, thoro was a b|t ot contus|on about who was |n tho band as wo||: lan G|||an, lay G|||on, |t
was hard. lay was roa||y a good t|nd, but nobody know h|m. Wo had to broak h|m |n, poop|o had
to como and soo h|m. lt wou|d tako t|mo to bu||d |t up.
1ho b|g quost|on was, d|d wo havo that t|mo?
04
1ho quoat tor 1ho EtornaI |doI
Wh||o wo woro try|ng to got back on our toot w|th lay G|||on, l got |nto a roa| ho|o. 0on Ardon
stoppod bo|ng my managor. |o got dono tor traud or somoth|ng to do w|th tax ovas|on. 1hoy
arrostod h|m and put h|m boh|nd bars tor a wh||o. l was askod to ho|p h|m out, just ||ko tho othor
band that ho managod, A|r 3upp|y. ||s |awyor sa|d to mo: 'look, 0on's |n a |ot ot troub|o. Wo
nood to ho|p h|m out othorw|so ho's go|ng to d|o |n that ja||, ho's novor go|ng to bo ab|o to stand
|t. Wo'vo got throo hundrod grand ott A|r 3upp|y. Cou|d you put somo monoy |n as wo||? You'||
got |t back. Wo'|| draw up thoso papors and ovoryth|ng w||| bo sortod.'
3o l d|d. l put about t|tty or s|xty grand |n. lovor got |t back, ot courso, and no|thor d|d A|r
3upp|y as tar l know. And suddon|y a|| tho papors wo had s|gnod got |ost. What a moss. ln tho
ond somobody had to go to ja|| and 0on's son, 0av|d, got |ncarcoratod |nstoad ot h|s tathor.
0av|d bas|ca||y covorod tor 0on and d|d tho t|mo.
At that po|nt |t was roa||y d|tt|cu|t to t|nd somobody who cou|d manago us. 1hon W||t l|no
approachod mo. |o sa|d: 'latr|ck Voohan can ho|p you out.'
3amo o|d th|ng. lt's r|d|cu|ous and l know |t was a stup|d th|ng to do, but l got back w|th
Voohan. 1ho poop|o who surroundod mo woro try|ng to r|p mo ott anyway, so my thought was, |t
m|ght as wo|| bo somoono l know and who m|ght do somoth|ng tor mo wh||o ho's about |t. 1ho
dov|| you know. lt's a|| a b|t vaguo now bocauso |t was a por| od whon l was back |nto do|ng a |ot
ot coko aga|n. And so was Voohan.
3o l got |nvo|vod w|th Voohan and, ot courso, bang!, |t wont poar-shapod |mmod|ato|y. |o got
|nto too much ot that p|ayboy th|ng aga|n. l wont to a coup|o ot p|acos w|th h|m and ho |ntroducod
mo to somo dodgy poop|o. l|co poop|o, but dodgy poop|o. And l thought, horo wo go aga|n.
Wo woro wr|t|ng songs tor what was to bocomo tho 7bo Etotoo| loo| a|bum |n london and l
stayod |n th|s hoto| |n Vayta|r. l was thoro tor s|x wooks and l thought, Chr|st, th|s must cost a
tortuno. 3ut Voohan wont: 'lt's a|| r|ght, bocauso l'm buy|ng tho hoto|.'
1horo was champagno and d|nnor and God knows what o|so. 1ho who|o band was stay|ng
thoro and lay G|||on was |n th|s apartmont noxt door. As t|mo wont on tho ownor ot tho hoto| kopt
say|ng to mo: 'Whon |s Voohan go|ng to sort out th|s hoto| and a||? Whon |s ho go|ng to pay mo
any monoy?'
l'd go: 'l don't know. 1hat's got noth|ng to do w|th mo.'
Voohan novor camo up w|th tho monoy. lot |ong attor that th|s b|oko turnod up doad: burnod
to doath! 1ho oxocutors ot h|s w||| wont through a|| tho books and thoy t|gurod out how much l
owod. l got a b||| trom tho hoto| wh|ch l had to pay |n tho ond. Anothor Voohan spoc|a|.
Whon wo jammod at our rohoarsa|s and wr|t|ng soss|ons tor 7bo Etotoo| loo|, lay wou|d
a|ways s|ng just anyth|ng, but whon |t camo to do|ng tho actua| songs, ho d|dn't como up w|th
many |yr|cs. lt's d|tt|cu|t |t tho s|ngor can't como up w|th h|s own stutt, but l th|nk tho b|ggost
prob|om w|th lay was that ho got carr|od away w|th tho stardom. |o wont a b|t w||d. |o stayod
|n a n|co apartmont |n Vayta|r, a|| ot a suddon ho had a|| thoso womon around h|m and ho got
|nto th|s p|ayboy ||tosty|o. |o was up a|| n|ght dr|nk|ng and ho bocamo th|s othor porson.
lay was a roa||y n| co guy, though. 1hoy woro a|| n|co guys, Er|c 3|ngor and 0avo 3p|tz as
wo||. Er|c had th|s o|ght|os ha|rsty|o wh|ch mado h|m |ook a ||tt|o b|t ||ko a woman, and so wo
startod ca|||ng h|m 3h|r|oy. |o |s a good drummor and ho has dono wo|| tor h|mso|t, p|ay|ng w|th
A||co Coopor and K|ss and tho ||ko. Whon wo had 0avo and Er|c |n tho band, thoy woro a groat
||tt|o toam. 1hoy |ovod to p|ay and wou|d try stutt a|| through tho n|ght. 1hoy woro a|ways onorgot|c
and that was good tor mo as wo||.
Evon so, somoth|ng d|dn't s|t wo|| w|th mo. Goott and mo woro o|dor than tho rost ot tho
poop|o |n tho band, so l to|t anc|ont. lay was on|y twonty-t|vo. lt was ||ko ho and Er|c and 0avo
woro nov|cos, thoy hadn't workod tor |t ||ko ovorybody o|so who has boon |n tho gamo a |ong
t|mo. 1hoy had como a|ong and just ||ko that thoy cou|d go out and say: 'l'm |n 3|ack 3abbath.'
lt was groat thoy woro thoro and l ||kod thom as p|ayors and as poop|o. 3ut |t d|dn't too| tho
samo any moro.
Voohan's |doa was to go to Vontsorrat to rocord tho a|bum, but t|rst wo wont to Ant|gua tor a
short broak. Wo stayod at th|s rosort that Voohan had bought |n tho sovont|os. |o sa|d: '1h|s |s
my hoto|.'
l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t! l mot poop|o thoro who usod to work tor us and who l hadn't soon tor
yoars. Evon our o|d accountant was out thoro, st||| apparont|y tr|onds w|th Voohan. 3|oody ho||, |t
was ||ko our managor was tho k|ng ot tho town out thoro. l askod h|m about tood and whoro l
cou|d go. |o sa|d: 'Oh, go to any rostaurant on tho boach and just s|gn tor |t.'
'|ow aro thoy go|ng to know who l am?'
'Oh, thoy know who you aro.'
And that's what wo d|d. Wo had |obstor and th|s and that, no quost|ons askod, and s|gnod tor
ovoryth|ng. Wo ||vod protty wo|| and had a groat t|mo.
1ho othor |ads wont on to Vontsorrat a b|t oar||or than mo, bocauso l doc|dod to sa|| ovor
thoro w|th Voohan on h|s boat. |o had a sk|ppor and tho b|oko's w|to workod on tho boat as
wo||. lt was groat dur|ng tho day whon wo sot ott. Wo sat on tho dock and sunbathod, |t was
|ovo|y. Wo had a|| thoso coconuts and tho capta|n mado cockta||s w|th rum and coconut m||k. Wo
drank thoso a|| day so l got abso|uto|y rat-arsod. 1hon th|s b|g storm camo |n. lt was p|tch-b|ack
out thoro and tho boat was t|y|ng a|| ovor tho p|aco, ||tora||y go|ng up |n tho a|r. Wator was
pour|ng |n and my su|tcasos woro t|oat|ng around |n tho bottom ot tho boat. l was |ns|do, too||ng
s|ck and throw|ng up. 1hon a|| tho cupboards burst opon and a|| thoso th|ngs to|| out, cannod
tood and th|s and that. l was torr|t|od bocauso tho capta|n's w|to camo down say|ng: 'Cor, th|s |s
ono ot tho worst storms l'vo ovor boon |n!'
'Groat! 1hanks tor to|||ng mo that!'
l surv|vod, but l sworo l'd novor got on a boat ||ko that aga|n.
Voohan had rontod a houso |n Vontsorrat tor tho two ot us. Wo got to th|s t|vo- or s|x-
bodroom p|aco and l thought, th|s |s n|co. Vy bags had a|| boon undorwator and ovoryth|ng |n
thom was soddon. l had a |oathor br|otcaso that had gono comp|oto|y groon bocauso ot tho
sa|twator. lt had my storoo |n |t and my passport, and a|| tho stutt was just trashod.
Whon wo arr| vod |t was st||| ||ght, but attor n|ghtta|| |t was comp|oto|y dark out thoro. Voohan
had to shoot ott and do somoth|ng, so l was |n th|s b|oody houso by myso|t tor tho t|rst tow days.
lo soonor had ho |ott than thoro was a powor cut. 3ocauso l'd on|y just arr|vod l d|dn't know my
way around tho houso. l d|dn't havo a torch or anyth|ng, and l cou|dn't go noxt door bocauso
thoro wasn't a noxt door. l was s|tt|ng thoro on my own and l shat myso|t. l startod th|nk|ng,
somobody m|ght havo cut tho powor so that thoy cou|d como and stab mo and cut my throat! l
was pray|ng tor tho morn|ng.
Evoryth|ng roturnod to norma|, but l hatod stay|ng |n that houso on my own, stuck |n tho m|dd|o
ot nowhoro.
1ott G||xman, who had a|so dono 5ovootb 5tot, camo ovor to produco th|s a|bum, but ho
wantod to chango lay G|||on and ho d|dn't || ko 0avo 3p|tz, so wo ondod up rop|ac|ng 1ott
G||xman |nstoad and got Chr|s 1sangar|dos to t|n|sh tho a|bum. ln a|| th|s contus|on 0avo |ott
bocauso ho had somo prob|om at homo. 3ob 0a|s|oy, who'd dono a|| tho |yr|cs and wr|tton
songs tor Ozzy, was takon on to t| n|sh tho a|bum w|th us. |o put a|| h|s bass b|ts down on tho
tracks wo had dono a|roady and thon wo wroto anothor song w|th h|m. |o was a good p|ayor
and wo got on roa||y wo||.
Voohan wou|d sort out advancos tor ovorybody, and l'd s|gn tho choquos tor tho guys |n tho
band. 1ho monoy camo trom an account that conta|nod tho advanco trom tho rocord company.
Voohan wou|d say: 'Wo owo tho band th|s much monoy, s|gn thoso choquos and l'|| do tho rost,
l'|| sort that out.'
1ho o|d con. l wou|d havo had onough coko or dr|nk to go: 'Oh yoah, that's a good |doa!'
l was |n a torr|b|o stato. l a|ways to|t ||ko l was go|ng mad, bocauso a|| thoso d|ttoront th|ngs
woro happon|ng and l d|dn't havo anybody to turn to. 1ho band wou|d go: 'What |s go|ng on?'
And l'd say: 'l havo no |doa. l don't know what's happonod horo.'
l d|dn't know how th|s was dono or how that got out ot hand or how tho othor th|ng wont wrong.
Voohan prom|sod ovoryth|ng to ovorybody and thon, ot courso, whon that a|| wont out ot tho
w|ndow |t was down to mo. lt was a roa||y, roa||y d|tt|cu|t t|mo tor mo. Wo woro just go|ng trom
day to day, surv|v|ng as bost wo cou|d. Voohan was supposod to pay ovorybody. l |ator hoard ho
d|dn't, but l novor know that at tho t|mo. l was s|gn|ng tho choquos, but thoy woron't gott|ng thom.
l th|nk that was tho roason why lay ovontua||y |ott, and Er|c as wo||. lay ondod up jo|n|ng 1ohn
3ykos's band 3|uo Vurdor, and 3ob 0a|s|oy took Er|c 3|ngor w|th h|m to Gary Vooro.
lt was tho samo a|| ovor aga|n, unt|| |t got cut ott, bang, just ||ko that ono day. l comp|a|nod to
Voohan about somo choquo that had bouncod, and ho just sa|d: 'Wo||, |t that's tho way |t |s, l
don't want to do |t any moro.'
And that was |t. l thought, tuck!
|o probab|y d|dn't soo onough monoy com|ng |n. Ot courso, t|y|ng ovorybody to Ant|gua and
Vontsorrat and koop|ng ovorybody a||vo tor a|| that t|mo must havo boon oxpons|vo, so |t m|ght
wo|| havo cost Voohan moro than ho mado ott us.
||na||y!
Wo rocordod a ta|r b|t |n Vontsorrat, but what w|th 0avo |oav|ng, G||xman go|ng as wo|| and
tho troub|os w|th Voohan, wo doc|dod to go back to london. Wo t| n|shod tho a|bum thoro w|th
Chr|s 1sangar|dos. l know Chr|s trom o|d, ho was tho ass|stant ong|noor on somo ot tho oar|y
3abbath rocords. |o was roa||y koon on mus|c and ho |ovod our stutt. Goott l|cho||s, mo and
Chr|s ovon had a ||tt|o joko band at tho t|mo. Wo ca||od |t 1ll: 1sangar|dos, lomm| and l|cho||s.
Wo woro just jamm|ng around |n tho stud|o. l st||| havo somo tapos ot that |y|ng around
somowhoro.
3y tho t|mo wo got to tho 3attory 3tud|os, lay G|||on had |ott. Vy tr|ond A|bort Chapman
managod th|s guy ca||od 1ony Vart|n. |o sa|d: '1ry h|m, ho's got a good vo|co.'
1ony camo |nto tho stud|o w|thout hav|ng had any warn|ng or anyth|ng to s|ng on somo ot tho
tracks wo'd wr|tton w|th lay |n m|nd. |o sang somo ot tho stutt s|m||ar to lay, to||ow|ng somo ot
tho mo|ody ||nos that wo had a|roady rocordod. |o d|d roa||y wo||, so wo rop|acod lay's voca|s
w|th 1ony's vo|co.
Yoars |ator, |n 2010, lay's voca|s surtacod on tho 0o|uxo Ed|t|on ro-ro|oaso ot 7bo Etotoo|
loo|. Wo doc|dod to ro|oaso |t bocauso tans had boon ask|ng tor |t tor yoars, and attor a|| th|s
t|mo |t sorvod as a n|co hats ott to lay as wo||.
'1ho 3h|n|ng' was tho t|rst s|ng|o ott tho a|bum. lt was ||ko a tastor '|oavon And |o||', |t had a
s|m||ar sort ot tompo. Wo noodod to do a v|doo tor |t, but w|th 3ob and Er|c gono wo d|dn't havo
a bass p|ayor or a drummor. Wo brought th|s gu|tar p|ayor who l d|dn't know trom Adam, and ho
ondod up m|m|ng p|ay|ng bass on tho v|doo. 3|oody ho||, |t was gott|ng r|d|cu|ous. 1orry Ch|mos
ot 1ho C|ash p|ayod drums |n that v|doo. |o was a groat guy and wo ondod up do|ng somo
shows |n 3outh Atr|ca |ator w|th h|m.
1ho song 'l|ghtmaro' camo trom mo bo|ng askod to do tho mus|c tor A Nlgbtmoto oo E|m
5ttoot. A guy trom tho mov|o phonod mo |n Vontsorrat and sa|d: 'W||| you como to lA
tomorrow?'
'l'm |n tho m|dd|o ot do|ng an a|bum. l can't just pack up and |oavo ovorybody to como to lA.'
1hoy sont mo tho scr|pt and l spoko to tho producor a tow t|mos. l was a|| sot to do |t, but thon
Voohan startod to put h|s oar |n. |o askod tor so much monoy that thoy backod out. l wou|d'vo
|ovod to havo dono that. lt d|dn't happon, but l had a|roady wr|tton a song and wo ca||od |t
'l|ghtmaro'.
3ov 3ovan camo up to london to soo mo and ondod up p|ay|ng on '3car|ot l|mporno|'. |o
tr|od a tow th|ngs, ||ko maracas. W|th tho o|d band wo a|ways usod maracas and b|ts ot wood,
tambour|nos and anyth|ng. You woro mak|ng up your own sounds. Wo a|ways ordorod a
porcuss|on box and usod d|ttoront th|ngs on ovory a|bum, 'do|ng!' or 'p|ng!' or whatovor. 3ut tho
art ot that d|sappoarod w|th tho moro modorn p|ayors. ln tho o|ght|os and onwards nobody
soomod to uso that any moro.
lt was Voohan's suggost|on to uso an |doa basod on a lod|n scu|pturo on tho covor. l had no
c|uo who lod|n was at that t|mo. |o to|d mo about |t and l sa|d: 'Oh, yoah, that sounds good.'
Wo wont to th|s photo shoot whoro wo had two poop|o dono |n bronzo pa|nt. 1hoy stood thoro
tor b|oody hours hav|ng tho|r photos takon, to dup||cato tho |doa ot tho or|g|na| lod|n statuo.
1hoy may wo|| havo ondod up |n hosp|ta|, bocauso that's what had happonod w|th 3||| whon wo
pa|ntod h|m. You just can't covor parts ot tho body up ||ko that.
7bo Etotoo| loo| was ro|oasod |n lovombor 1087. Wo startod rocord|ng |t w|th ono band and
ondod up t|n|sh|ng |t w|th anothor. You don't want tho band to broak up, but whon |t doos you
br|ng somobody o|so |n and that changos |t aga|n, and yot anothor porson and |t changos |t
somo moro, and you'ro gradua||y pu|||ng away trom what you onco woro. l |ost track ot |t a|| |n tho
ond, bocauso thoro woro that many poop|o |n and out |n such a short t|mo. |ow l'vo a|ways
|ookod on |t |s that you rop|aco somobody whon thoy |oavo. lt's ||ko |t you havo a tactory, |t
somobody |oavos, you don't c|oso down tho tactory, you rop|aco h|m. lt wasn' t as co|d as that,
actua||y: l a|ways |ookod to t|nd somobody who cou|d rop||cato a tr|ondsh|p as wo||, but l novor
tound that. l was corta|n|y novor ab|o to rop||cato tho tr|ondsh|p tho or|g|na| tour guys |n 3|ack
3abbath had. lt was tho samo w|th tho ||no-up ot |oavon 8 |o||, w|th lonn|o. You can't t|nd that
aga|n. You th|nk you can, but you novor do.
1ho a|bum d|dn't so|| vory wo|| at a||, wh|ch was roa||y d|shoarton|ng. lt was n|co to t|na||y got
tho th|ng dono and got |t out, but |t was |n tho |ap ot tho gods as to what was go|ng to happon
w|th |t thon. lt must havo boon hard tor tans to accopt a|| tho changos |n tho band. l romombor
whon l was a k|d and 1ho 3hadows got a now || no-up |t d|dn' t too| tho samo to mo. low k|ds
saw us w|th yot anothor ||no-up. l can undorstand that thoy woro th|nk|ng, oh, what's go|ng on? lt
a|ways takos yoars tor somoth|ng ||ko that to got accoptod.
0ur|ng tho rocord|ng ovoryth|ng had ta||on apart, ovorybody just |ott. 3ut l cou|dn't |oavo. l had
to ho|d tho tort and put |t a|| togothor aga|n.
05
1axmanI
l tr|od on a tow occas|ons to got Goozor back. lt was a b|t ot an up-and-down th|ng whoro ono
m|nuto ho wantod to do |t and tho noxt ho d|dn't. |o camo to london ono t|mo wh||o wo woro
rocord|ng thoro and wo a|| wont out to 1rador v|c's, tho rostaurant bo|ow tho |||ton. Wo d|dn't
oat anyth|ng, wo just drank. Wo had a|| thoso oxot|c b|oody rums and wh||o l was try|ng to ta|k
Goozor |nto com|ng back wo got para|yt|c. Goozor's w|to, G|or|a, camo to p|ck h|m up and, as
wo wa|kod out ot 1rador v|c's, Goozor gavo tho guy at tho door a b0 noto as a t|p. G|or|a camo
t|y|ng past, and whoosh, sho snatchod tho b0 out ot tho guy's hand, put Goozor |n tho car and
ott thoy wont.
|o d|dn't want to como back. Vanagomont wou|d corta|n|y bo ono roason tor Goozor say|ng
no, bocauso ho d|dn't want to havo anyth|ng to do w|th Voohan. |o was qu|to r|ght, ot courso.
l was at an a||-t|mo |ow, but l d|d pu|| myso|t out ot |t. Onco Voohan was out ot tho p|cturo
th|ngs startod gott|ng bottor. 1ho |ast th|ng ho d|d tor us was sond us ott to 3un C|ty by way ot
Athons, p|ay|ng a coup|o ot wooks tor a |ot ot monoy. Wo roa||y noodod that at tho t|mo, bocauso
w|th tho band chang|ng constant|y wo hadn't dono any shows.
1hoso poop|o camo ovor trom 3outh Atr|ca and thoy sa|d to mo: 'What can wo do tor you to
mako you bo||ovo that th|s |s go|ng to happon? What wou|d mako you happy?'
Out ot tho b|uo l sa|d: '3uy mo a lo||s-loyco.'
As you do. 3ut thoy sa|d: 'Okay. Wh|ch ono do you want?'
'Oh!'
lt was as s|mp|o as that. 1hoy sa|d: 'You p|ck |t, wo'|| pay tor |t.'
l p|ckod |t, thoy pa|d tor |t, and thon l know thoy woro sor|ous about |t.
3otoro go|ng to 3outh Atr|ca wo wont to Grooco. lt was tho t|rst t|mo wo'd p|ayod thoro and
a|so our t|rst g|g w|th 1ony Vart|n. lt was |n tho hugo lanath|na|kos tootba|| stad|um, so 1ony
must havo shat h|mso|t. Wh||o wo woro do|ng our sound chock thoro tho promotor |ot tho k|ds |n.
l was ||v|d. l grabbod h|m and pushod h|m up a wa||, go|ng: 'You tuck|ng |d|ot!'
Attorwards ho took us out to d|nnor anyway. l thought, oh doar, l ca||od h|m a|| tho namos undor
tho sun and throatonod to k||| h|m, and horo l am, shar|ng a moa| w|th h|m.
lt was 21 1u|y, tho ho|ght ot summor, so |t was roast|ng whon wo d|d tho show. |ans woro
c||mb|ng up tho b|oody ||ght|ng r|g at tho s|do ot tho stago. lt got roa||y dangorous, so wo woro
to|d to got ott tho stago and wo had to cut tho show short. 3o that was a n|co start tor 1ony
Vart|n.
Ono ot tho t|rst th|ngs wo d|d whon wo got to 3outh Atr|ca was go to 1ohannosburg to do
somo pross. l|ght |n tho m|dd|o ot do|ng that, somobody |ot a bomb ott down tho road. 1hat was
tho on|y s|gn ot any k|nd ot troub|o that l not|cod. lt wasn't connoctod to us, |t was just ono ot
thoso th|ngs. Wo||, l hopo |t wasn't to do w|th us.
1ho promotor took us out on a satar|. Wo |ott at t|vo o'c|ock |n tho morn|ng |n a coup|o ot
opon-toppod land lovors, and a|| l saw was tho dust trom tho car |n tront. Wo'd stop tor a b|t,
|ook |nto tho d|stanco and ovorybody wou|d go: 'lo, l can't soo anyth|ng.'
Wo saw noth|ng, abso|uto|y tuck a||. Groat satar|!
3un C|ty turnod out to bo a good p|aco to p|ay. Wo d|d s|x shows |n tho throo wooks, p|ay|ng
3aturdays and 3undays. 0ur|ng tho wook |t was as doad as a doorna|| thoro, but at tho
wookonds, whon wo p|ayod, |t was packod. 1ho promotor was b|ack and wo woro p|ay|ng to
aud|oncos just || ko ovorywhoro o|so, b|ack and wh|to. 1hoy'd novor soon us and wo d|d a coup|o
ot groat shows. 1o mo |t was anothor g|g. Why not branch out? l novor thought about tho po||t|ca|
s|do ot |t. l was a b|t b||nd to a|| that, l d|dn't roa||y know how bad |t was. l just thought, l'm a
mus|c|an, l want to p|ay and got my mus|c around whorovor l can. 3ut, boy, d|d l got somo st|ck
tor p|ay|ng 3un C|ty.
Whon l got thoro l saw a|| thoso p|cturos on tho wa||s ot a|| tho bands that had p|ayod thoro
botoro us, ||ko Ouoon and 3tatus Ouo, so l wondor why | t was mo who got a|| tho sh|t thon. 1hoy
roa||y camo down on mo hard back |n Eng|and. 3ut l can't say l rogrot do|ng |t. |ans aro tans
and |t soomod a shamo that thoso poop|o shou|dn't bo ab|o to hoar our mus|c.
ln lovombor and 0ocombor 1087 tho Etorna| ldo| tour wont through Europo. 1ho |ast g|g was
|n lomo, whoro wo p|ayod at tho samo vonuo as tho lopo. |o was appoar|ng thoro tho day
botoro us and ho had th|s ||ght and sound systom. Attor h|s th|ng was ovor wo tr|od to got r|d ot
h|s stutt, so wo cou|d got ours |n.
'Can you ask tho lopo to movo h|s goar, p|oaso? |or 3|ack 3abbath?'
1hat d|dn't go down vory wo||.
lt was around th|s t|mo that l startod hav|ng prob|oms w|th tho taxman, and |t was thon that l got
|n touch w|th lh|| 3ant|o|d, bas|ca||y |ook| ng tor ho|p. As wo|| as hav|ng h|s own agoncy, lh||
cont|nuod to manago lan G|||an and ho to|d mo about Ernost Chapman, who was 1ott 3ock's
managor. l mot up w|th h|m and tho t|rst th|ng Ernost sa|d was: 'You don't do drugs, do you?'
l sa|d: 'lo, no!'
'l don't want anyth|ng to do w|th anybody do|ng drugs.'
'Oh. lo, l don't do thom!'
ly|ng through my tooth. A roa||y good start to tho ro|at|onsh|p.
l was amazod at how stra|ght ho was. Wo startod ta|k|ng about stutt and l sa|d: 'What about
comm|ss|ons?'
Wo had noth|ng s|gnod and ho just sa|d: '0on't worry about anyth|ng ||ko that. Whon wo'vo
sortod |t out, l'|| tako a porcontago. What do you nood now?'
1horo was noth|ng |n |t tor h|m oxcopt gr|ot, but l th|nk ho ||kod a b|t ot a cha||ongo. Ernost and
lh|| 3ant| o|d workod a |ot ot th|ngs out, and thon Ernost sa|d: 'la|ph works w|th mo at tho ott|co
and ho doos a |ot ot my stutt as wo||.'
l mot la|ph 3akor and thon lh|| gradua||y movod out. And la|ph and Ernost havo boon my
managors ovor s|nco.
1ho t|rst th|ng thoy ho|pod mo w|th was th|s b|g tax s|tuat|on that l wont through attor tho broak-
up w|th Voohan. 1ho tax poop|o camo on to mo ||ko a ton ot br|cks. l d|dn't go bankrupt, but l d|d
bocomo |nso|vont. 1ho taxmon sa|d: 'You havo to so|| your houso.'
1hoy camo to my houso and |ookod around at ovoryth|ng. 1hoy saw a|| tho gu|tars and a|| tho
oqu|pmont, and thoy jottod |t a|| down.
'l|ght, how much w||| wo got tor th|s and how much tor that?'
'Eh?'
l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t. 1hoy woro w||||ng to r|p ovoryth|ng trom undor mo.
l phonod Ernost up and ho got thom ott my back tor a b|t. 3ut l st||| had a hugo b||| to pay.
1hoy askod: 'What has happonod?'
l startod: 'Wo||, tho accountant's . . .'
1hoy sa|d: '1h|s |s not tho accountant's prob|om, |t's your prob|om.'
l thought, wa|t, tho accountant was tak|ng somo ot my monoy and putt|ng |t to ono s|do tor tax!
Whon l spoko to h|m ho sa|d: 'Wo||, l d|d, but you wantod th|s and that, so l usod tho tax monoy.'
'Oh, that's just groat!'
Vy |ncomo was trozon dur|ng tho |nvost|gat|on, but Ernost got |t sortod out tor mo. |o
managod to work a doa| out and got my roya|t|os com|ng |n propor|y as wo||. And ho sortod tho
Voohan th|ng out.
Wo woro back to squaro ono. 1horo was mo, 1ony Vart|n and Goott l|cho||s. lt was t|mo to
|oavo a|| tho ug|y bus|noss boh|nd and robu||d tho band.
00
EoadIoaa but hay
Attor o|ghtoon yoars our doa| w|th vort|go |n Eng|and and Europo ondod, and tho ono |n
Amor|ca w|th Warnor 3ros as wo||. lt's horr|b|o to bo droppod, but that's tho way |t goos l
supposo. 3oon attor, l mot V||os Copo|and who ownod l.l.3. locords. |o camo to my houso
and sa|d: 'You know how to wr|to a|bums, you know what poop|o want. You do |t and l'm t|no w|th
|t.'
l thought that was groat, so wo wont ahoad and s|gnod w|th l.l.3.
Vost ot 1088 l was busy sort|ng out a |ot ot rubb|sh trom my past. Whon lh||, Ernost and
la|ph got |nvo|vod thoro was a mounta|n ot sh|t to go through. lt soomod ||ko wo woro |n novor-
ond|ng moot|ngs about ovoryth|ng, try|ng to c|oar tho path botoro wo cou|d start atrosh. Ot
courso thoro woro stumb||ng b|ocks a|ong tho way.
1horo was a guy who ||vod noar mo, a wrost|or, who wantod to put a char|ty th|ng on to ra|so
monoy tor Ch||dron ln lood. |o askod mo: 'Cou|d wo put a g|g on?'
l sa|d: 'Yos, wo can p|ay thoro, but l don't want |t announcod as a 3|ack 3abbath th|ng.'
lt was just a ono-ott w|th mo, Goott p|ay|ng bass, 1ony Vart|n and 1orry Ch|mos, but |t got
b|own out ot a|| proport|on. 1ho g|g was on 20 Vay 1088 |n tho 1op 3pot C|ub |n O|dbury, ono ot
thoso work|ng mon's c|ubs whoro thoy havo a comod|an, a jugg|or and a|| that sort ot stutt. And
horo |t was: '1op ot tho b||| ton|ght: 3|ack 3abbath!'
l just wantod to ho|p ra|so somo monoy tor k|ds. lt was a|| dono as a k|nd gosturo but |t
bocamo a b|oody thorn |n tho s|do. Wo got |ots ot t|ack tor |t, w|th poop|o go|ng: 'look at 3|ack
3abbath p|ay|ng a ||tt|o c|ub ||ko that.' 1o mako th|ngs ovon worso, apparont|y tho b|oko mado
monoy out ot |t and kopt most ot |t.
3y that t|mo wo had a|roady mado stops to put tho band back togothor aga|n and roga|n
somo crod|b|||ty. l mot w|th lh|| 3ant|o|d, wo ta|kod about drummors and Cozy lowo||'s namo
camo up. |o had p|ayod w|th 1ott 3ock, la|nbow and Wh|tosnako and l had boon throaton|ng to
work w|th h|m tor yoars but |t novor happonod. Vo and Cozy mot and ho was on board. 1hat was
a groat start, |t gavo us tho crod|b|||ty wo woro |ook|ng tor.
Cozy was roa||y ho|ptu|. |o stayod tor two or throo wooks at my houso and wo' d s|t |n a room,
got a bott|o ot w|no and ott wo'd go. l had a|| thoso |doas, Cozy wou|d tap a|ong and como up
w|th |doas as wo||. Wo had tho tapo p|ayor go|ng and just jammod around. lt noth|ng camo up
wo'd chuck |t and go tor tho noxt ono. Vaybo wo'd go tor a wa|k, como back and havo anothor
go. lt roa||y workod wo||. Wo'd got 1ony Vart|n ovor and thon got |nto a rohoarsa| room and try |t
w|th ovorybody. Wo to|t |nsp|rod. Wo woro com|ng up w|th stutt and wo woro roa||y p|oasod w|th
|t.
Around that t|mo l hoard aga|n trom G|or|a 3ut|or that Goozor m|ght want to como back. l was
to|||ng Cozy about that and ho was go|ng: 'What's happon|ng? ls ho go|ng to do |t or not?'
'l don't know. G|or|a sa|d ho w|||.'
3ut tho roturn ot Goozor novor happonod. Wo rocordod our noxt a|bum, looo|oss Ctoss, w|th
th|s soss|on guy ca||od larry Cott|o. |o was a jazz p|ayor and a b|oody good ono at that. Wo had
h|m on tho v|doo ot looo|oss Ctoss, but ho d|dn't |ook ||ko tho sort ot guy to bo |n a rock band.
Wo woron't ovon suro ho'd bo tho sort ot porson who wou|d go on tours, bocauso ho was usod
to do|ng lonn|o 3cott's and ||tt|o jazz c|ubs ||ko that. 3ut ho was such a good bass p|ayor. |o'd
como to tho stud|o and say: 'What sort ot th|ng do you want? What about th|s? Or that?'
And ho'd p|ay a|| thoso d|ttoront k|nds ot th|ngs.
'Yoah! 1hat's |t!'
|o d|d a groat job and that was |t. |o p|ayod ovoryth|ng on looo|oss Ctoss and |ott attor tho
rocord|ng.
Wo rocordod tho a|bum trom August through to lovombor |n tho Woodcray 3tud|os, a ||tt|o
tarm p|aco |n 3orksh|ro, not tar trom london. 1hoy had a stud|o thoro and two or throo
bodrooms. Cozy wou|d como on h|s motorb|ko and thon go homo, bocauso ho ||vod not that tar
trom thoro. Vo and Cozy producod tho a|bum ourso|vos. Ot courso, l cou|dn't to|| Cozy what h|s
drums sound shou|d bo. |o know what ho wantod and botoro wo startod rocord| ng ho'd tost h|s
drums tor howovor |ong |t took to got thom r|ght. And thon l'd do tho gu|tar and a|| tho rost ot |t.
Wo woro roa||y dotorm|nod to mako a good a|bum. Wo woro oxc|tod bocauso wo woro
p|ay|ng togothor and wo brought out tho bost |n oach othor.
1ony Vart|n wroto tho |yr|cs to a|| tho songs. looo|oss Ctoss |s a ||tt|o v|||ago |n tho v|c|n|ty ot
3|rm|ngham and 1ony mado |t tamous. Wo d|d a v|doo tor tho t|t|o track at a p|aco ca||od 3att|o
Abboy |n 3att|o, noar |ast|ngs, |n 3ussox. lt was tho oxact spot whoro W||||am tho Conquoror
had dotoatod K|ng |aro|d at tho 3att|o ot |ast|ngs about a thousand yoars ago.
Work|ng |n th|s d||ap|datod o|d abboy was a|| r|ght dur|ng tho day, but thoy d|dn't start tho
actua| t||m|ng unt|| somoth|ng ||ko m|dn|ght. 1hoy wantod to capturo tho ||ght com|ng back up |n
tho morn|ng out ot thoso ru|ns wh||o wo woro p|ay|ng thoro. 3y that t|mo |t was ho|||sh|y co|d and
wo woro trozon st|tt. Cozy was dr|nk|ng brandy just to koop warm, but ho got p|ssod as a parrot.
|o noar|y to|| ott h|s drum stoo|. l had a b|g rod noso and cou|dn't too| my hands. Wo d|d catch
tho morn|ng ||ght, but wo caught t|u as wo||.
l got 3r|an Vay to p|ay tho so|o on 'Whon 0oath Ca||s'. |o camo down a |ot whon wo woro
rocord|ng, sat |n tho stud|o and ta|kod away. And l sa|d: '0o you want to . . . p|ay on tho a|bum?'
'Ah, can l?'
'Yoah!'
'What do you want mo to p|ay?'
3o l'd got a track out.
'l|ay on that?'
'Yoah, okay!'
|o just |mprov|sod, bocauso ho'd on|y hoard |t tor tho t|rst t|mo r|ght thon and thoro. l |ott h|m |n
tho stud|o tor an hour and camo back: '|ow aro you gott|ng on?'
lt was groat, ho was roa||y good. Wo'vo p|ayod togothor many t|mos bocauso wo onjoy |t so
much. Wo'vo ovon ta|kod about mak|ng an a|bum togothor. Ono day.
On 'l|ghtw|ng' wo usod 1ony Vart|n's gu|do voca|s, bocauso ho novor sang |t qu|to tho samo
attor that. |o tr|od |t a coup|o ot t|mos, but wo wont: 'lo, wo'|| koop tho or|g|na| bocauso |t's got
that too| to |t!'
1h|ngs ||ko that a|so happonod a |ot w|th my gu|tar parts. l'd just p|ay |t a corta|n way and that
was |t. You try |t aga|n, and thon you try to got too proc|so. 3o l'vo kopt gu|tar parts that woro on
tho or|g|na| domo tor tho track. 1ho samo w|th so|os. 1hat's why l a|ways try and do tho so|os |n
tho t|rst tow takos, bocauso othorw|so |t gots too robot|c. l protor to do a so|o |nst|nct|vo|y, to just
go and p|ay. Whon l rocord a track |n tho stud|o l'|| usua||y p|ay s|x so|os |n a row. 1hon l'|| ask
myso|t, |s |t gott|ng bottor or worso? Usua||y thoy got worso as l go on. lt l don't capturo |t |n so
many tr|os, l'|| |oavo |t tor a wh||o. lt's bottor to try aga|n |ator, w|th a trosh out|ook on th|ngs.
l p|ay so|os ott tho cutt. l'm not good at s|tt|ng down and work|ng tho so|os out, so whon l p|ay
d|ttoront tr|os tor a so|o, thoy vary a |ot. l can novor p|ay thom oxact|y tho samo. 1hat was roa||y
ombarrass|ng whon l d|d ono ot tho t|rst |nstruct|ona| v|doos. 1hoy sa|d: 'Wo want to p|ay 'loon
Kn|ghts', '3|ack 3abbath' and '|oavon And |o||'. Can you p|ay tho so|os to thom?'
'Wo||, l'|| p|ay o so|o.'
3o l d|d and thon thoy sa|d: 'Can you p|ay |t s|ow now?'
l wont: 'Oh, tuck. l don't know what l p|ayod!'
3r|an Vay can p|ay h|s stutt noto tor noto, but l can't. l just p|ayod tho so|o that wont w|th tho
th|ng, s|m||ar but not qu|to tho samo. And |t corta|n|y was |mposs|b|o tor mo to p|ay |t s|ow|y so
that poop|o cou|d |oarn |t. l startod th|nk|ng about |t thon: what do l p|ay? |ow d|d l p|ay that? And
onco l startod th|nk|ng about |t, torgot |t. 3o whon you watch that v|doo, you'|| soo that l p|ayod |t
d|ttoront on tho s|ow vors|on. l can romombor r|tts unt|| thoy como out ot my oars. l romombor r|tts
trom yoars ago that l havon't ovon rocordod. 3ut whon |t comos to p|ay|ng a so|o noto tor noto,
and try|ng to p|ay that vors|on s|ow, torgot about |t.
looo|oss Ctoss was ro|oasod |n Apr|| 1080. lt d|d much bottor than 7bo Etotoo| loo|, but wo
woro vory unhappy about tho way l.l.3. promotod |t |n tho 3tatos. Ott wo wont to Amor|ca to do
a tour and, as you do, wo wont round tho rocord shops and thoro wasn't a tuck|ng a|bum |n s|ght.
1horo wasn't ovon a postor up, noth|ng. Cozy b|ow h|s top: 'What tho tuck's go|ng on, thoro's no
advort|s|ng, thoro aro no a|bums |n tho shops!'
ln Europo tho way thoy workod that a|bum was tantast|c. ln tact, looo|oss Ctoss d|d bottor
thoro than tho or|g|na| 3abbath a|bums w|th tho o|d ||no-ups had dono. Wo wont: '3|oody ho||,
t|na||y!'
3o |t's sato to say that |t wasn't down to tho qua||ty ot tho mus|c that |t d|dn't do a|| that wo|| |n
Amor|ca.
07
Oh no, not caviar againI
Whon |t was t|mo to do somo shows, wo approachod a bass p|ayor Cozy know. |o sa|d: '3ha||
wo got a moot|ng togothor w|th lo|| Vurray and soo how you got on w|th h|m?'
lo|| turnod out to bo a groat p|ayor. ||na||y, wo had a roa|, crod|b|o and vory good band
togothor.
Wo tourod Amor|ca |n 1uno 1080, mo and Cozy, 1ony Vart|n, lo|| Vurray and Goott l|cho||s,
but wo wont homo attor about two wooks. 1horo was a stark |ack ot promot|on, not on|y tor tho
a|bum but tor tho shows as wo||. Wo woro moot|ng poop|o |n town: 'What aro you do|ng horo?'
'Oh . . . Wo'ro p|ay|ng horo ton|ght.'
'Eh?'
lt was a|| vory 3p|na| 1ap-|sh.
At tho ond ot August wo startod our UK tour. Wo ondod tho o|d-tash|onod way, w|th two
|ammorsm|th shows. 3r|an Vay camo up and d|d '|oavon And |o||', 'larano|d' and 'Ch||dron
Ot 1ho Gravo'. |o hadn't p|ayod that |ast ono w|th us botoro and so ho shoutod: 'What koy |s |t
|n?'
'lt's just |n E!'
lt wont vory wo||. At anothor g|g on that tour l brought lan G|||an up to do '3moko On 1ho Wator'
and 'larano|d', wh|ch was groat tor tho tans. lt wont down a storm. Wo cou|d novor do th|ngs ||ko
got 3r|an or lan up w|th tho or|g|na| ||no-up, bocauso that was too sot.
Wo had a good t|mo on thoso tours bocauso thoro wasn't much prossuro, apart trom tho usua|
t|nanc|a| worr|os. Wo stayod |n |ossor hoto|s, travo||od a|| togothor on tho bus and cut down |n a||
sorts ot ways, but wo had a groat t|mo togothor. Wo d|d what wo woro supposod to bo do|ng:
p|ay.
Wo'd had a |ot ot troub|o |n tho oar|y yoars w|th ro||g|ous nutcasos but |t camo as qu|to a
surpr|so whon |n 1080 |t startod aga|n. Wo woro |n Vox|co hav|ng just tourod 1apan, and tho
v|s|t bogan wo|| |n a |ovo|y hoto| supp||od by tho promotor. Wo woro to|d that thoro had boon a b|t
ot a campa|gn aga|nst us orchostratod by tho Catho||c Church and backod by tho |oca| mayor
but woro assurod |t was a|| OK. Wo d|dn't roa||so how b|g a doa| |t was, a|| wo'd como to do was
p|ay a show. Wo a|so subsoquont|y |oarnt that tho tootba|| stad|um wo woro duo to p|ay |n was
tho th|rd cho|co attor tho promotor was rotusod porm|ss|on |n othor towns - not suro wo'd havo
gono |t wo'd known that!
Anyway wo tr|od to ro|ax tor a coup|o ot days but tho crow woro norvous as thoro woro a |ot ot
hoavy socur|ty guys hang|ng around w|th guns and tho tac|||t|os at tho stad|um woro oxtromo|y
bas|c. And as tho crow wont to sot tho goar up thoy woro suddon|y arrostod at tho s|to. 1hoso
socur|ty guys wou|dn't a||ow tho show to go on puro|y bocauso tho po||co woro worr|od about
r|ots and God knows what o|so.
Wo woro to|d that tans woro com|ng trom a|| ovor Vox|co by tra|n, |t was roa||y a b|g doa|, so
wo thought maybo |t wo wont down and had a |ook at tho stad|um tor ourso|vos |t wou|d ho|p.
3ut botoro wo cou|d got go|ng |nstruct|ons camo through to us say|ng 'pack-up, wo'ro |oav|ng',
as tho mayor had now bannod tho show and thousands ot d|sappo|ntod k|ds woro ||ko|y to
b|amo us. You don't arguo w|th a man w|th a mach|no gun and by thon tho t|rst ot tho tra|ns had
arr|vod and tho tans woro pour|ng out. 1ho stat|on was r|ght noxt door to our hoto| so wo had to
||o-down on tho t|oor ot a m|n|bus wh||o tho dr|vor abandonod tho road and noar|y turnod us ovor
try|ng a short cut through a hugo dra|nago d|tch! Escapo mado, wo spod on to Vox|co C|ty
whoro wo mado suro wo woro on tho noxt p|ano back to tho UK!
Wo d|d go back to Vox|co w|th |oavon 8 |o|| |n 2007. Vaybo thoy'vo torg|von us or s|mp|y
not assoc|atod tho band w|th 3|ack 3abbath.
Attor Vox|co, wo wont on to luss|a, anothor oxot|c country. Wo d|d ton n|ghts |n Voscow at
tho O|ymp|c 3tad|um, a mass|vo p|aco, and |t was so|d out. On 3aturdays wo d|d an attornoon
show as wo||. 1ho aud|onco wou|d go out attor that show and thon thoy'd a|| como back |n aga|n
tor tho ovon|ng ono.
Wo woro supportod by G|r|schoo|. 1ho t|rst n|ght at tho hoto| |n Voscow wo wont to tho bar
and ono ot tho g|r|s was thoro as wo||. 1hon tho|r bass p|ayor camo |n and, just ||ko that, punchod
hor |n tho taco. Wo wont: '3|oody ho||! What was a|| that about? Chr|st, wo havon't ovon startod
tho tour yot and thoy aro t|ght|ng a|roady!'
loa||y pocu||ar. 3ut thoy turnod out to bo a|| r|ght. 1hoy cou|d dr|nk a b|t as wo||. And Cozy had
a ||tt|o romanco w|th tho|r s|ngor and gu|tar p|ayor, K|m VcAu||tto, that wont on tor a short wh||o
attor tho tour. 3ho was a roa||y n|co g|r|.
l|ay|ng |n luss|a was wo|rd bocauso |n tho ha|| |n Voscow tho t|rst rows ot soats woro sot
back, away trom tho stago, and a|| ot thom woro takon up by ott|c|a|s, w|th a|| thoso mon drossod
up |n su|ts and womon |n ba||room-typo drossos. 1hoy obv|ous|y had somoth|ng to do w|th tho
govornmont, and |ookod so out ot p|aco, as |t thoy shou|d havo boon at a d|ttoront g|g a|togothor.
1ho rowdy k|ds woro boh|nd thom, oxcopt that thoy cou|dn't bo rowdy. 1ho socur|ty guys wou|dn't
stand tor that. 1hoy woro protty hoavy w|th tho k|ds.
lt was w|ntor and trooz|ng co|d. Evory day thoy'd p|ck us up |n a van and dr|vo us to tho g|g,
togothor w|th th|s b|g mota| conta|nor |n tho back tu|| ot soup. Wo took a|| our own cator|ng w|th
us. 1ho tood was |ockod up |n ono ot tho rooms and wo had a guard on |t, but |t st||| wont
m|ss|ng. lt was just at tho t|mo whon thoy woro pu|||ng down a|| tho statuos ot lon|n. 1ho country
hadn't oponod up yot, thoro wasn't a Vc0ona|d's or anyth|ng at that po|nt. Our catorors wont
down to tho markot to buy trosh tood and otton thoy'd bo |n troub|o. lt thoy bought up a|| tho
ch|ckons and vogotab|os and whatovor o|so, tho |oca|s wou|d bo up |n arms. lt was b|oody hard
tor thom.
Wo stayod at th|s hoto| ca||od tho Ukra|no. lt was a b|t ||ko Grand Contra| 3tat|on, bocauso |t
had a b|g opon |obby and |t was roa||y co|d |n thoro. Wo had two KG3 poop|o travo|||ng w|th us
a|| tho t|mo and wo woro vory awaro ot thom koop|ng an oyo on us. l wondorod |t our rooms woro
buggod. lt was so boh|nd tho t|mos that |t you wantod to mako a phono ca|| you had to book |t
wo|| |n advanco. Vy room was vory dopross|ng. lt was b|g but |t on|y had a bod and a ch|na
cab|not |n |t, w|th p|ocos ot tho ch|na go|ng m|ss|ng ovory othor day. lt was obv|ous|y tho ma|ds
tak|ng cups and saucors and whatnot, but l got tho b|amo.
1ho hoto| was vory dodgy as wo||. Whon you |ookod undor tho ba|cony, you saw a|| thoso
crod|t cards |y|ng thoro. loop|o had obv|ous|y boon robbod and tho th|ovos had thrown out tho
stutt thoy cou|dn't uso. 3omo ot our crow actua||y d|d got robbod. 1wo ot thom woro shar|ng a
room and ono ot thom took h|s c|othos ott and wont to bod. |o hoard somobody como |n and ho
thought |t was tho othor b|oko. lt wasn't. lt was a th|ot, who n|ckod a|| h|s c|othos, h|s wa||ot and
ovoryth|ng.
Attor Voscow wo d|d anothor ton days |n lon|ngrad. 1ho crowd was d|ttoront thoro, much
moro ||ko a rogu|ar crowd and r|ght up tho tront as wo||. lt was roa||y good.
3ut wo camo back w|th |oads ot cav|ar, ospoc|a||y Cozy, who was a b|g whoo|or-doa|or. |o
got |n w|th tho managor ot tho O|ymp|c 3tad|um. Wo wont up to h|s ott|co and th|s b|oko had a||
thoso t|ns ot cav|ar and hand-pa|ntod |acquorod boxos and so on |y|ng about. Wo gavo h|m a
coup|o ot 1-sh|rts tor th|s, a pa|r ot snoakors or whatovor tor that. 1hoy |ovod tho 1-sh|rts w|th tho
band's namo on thom, so Cozy ondod up w|th a su|tcaso tu|| ot 3o|uga cav|ar. God knows what
that wou|d bo worth.
l camo back w|th b|oody un|torms, m|||tary hats and a|| sorts ot sh|t, wh|ch soomod ||ko a groat
|doa at tho t|mo. 3ut as soon as l got thom homo |t was, wo||, what do l do w|th thom? And now
thoy aro |n tho |ott. 3ut l a|so brought cav|ar back and that |astod tor qu|to a wh||o.
Wo ato a |ot ot |t out thoro, bocauso thoro was noth|ng o|so. 1ho t|rst t|mo wo wont to tho
rostaurant |n tho hoto| wo sat down and |t was: 'What wou|d you ||ko?'
'Wou|d you havo somo ot . . .?'
'lo.'
'|avo you got . . .?'
'lo.'
'What about . . .?'
'lo.'
'Or . . .?'
'lo.'
'Wo||, what havo you got?'
'lco croam.'
'lco croam!?'
loa||y pocu||ar.
'Wo||, wo'|| havo that thon!'
Evorybody wou|d bo dy|ng to got out to tho g|g so that thoy cou|d got somoth|ng trom our
cator|ng. 3ut wo had so much cav|ar to tho po|nt whoro wo wont: 'Oh no, not cav|ar aga|n!'
Europo had boon groat, Gormany was sonsat|ona| and luss|a was good tor us as wo||. 1ho
a|bum was do|ng good and tho g|gs woro so|d out. 1o mo |t to|t as |t wo had turnod a cornor.
lt to|t roa| aga|n.
08
1YR and tirod
|or our noxt a|bum, 7YR, wo wont back to tho Woodcray 3tud|os |n |obruary 1000, w|th mo and
Cozy produc|ng |t aga|n. On looo|oss Ctoss, 1ony had just como |nto tho band and ho
assumod, oh, 3|ack 3abbath, |t's a|| about tho 0ov||, so h|s |yr|cs woro tu|| ot tho 0ov|| and
3atan. lt was too much |n your taco. Wo to|d h|m to bo b|t moro subt|o about |t, so tor 7YR ho d|d
a|| thoso |yr|cs about lord|c gods and whatnot. lt took mo a wh||o to got my hoad around that.
l part|cu|ar|y ||kod 'Anno Vund|' . lt starts w|th a cho|r s|ng|ng |n lat|n 'Anno Vund|' and '1ho
3abbath 3tonos' aro roa||y powortu|, s|ow, pound|ng tracks. l ||ko thoso hoavy r|tt-typo th|ngs,
and '1ho 3abbath 3tonos' |s part|cu|ar|y hoavy.
Wo d|d a v|doo tor '|oo|s Good 1o Vo', a ba||ad. lt was a |ovo story about somo g|r| on a
motorcyc|o and somo boy who choats on hor and ta||s out w|th hor and a|| that stutt. lt a|so had
tootago ot us p|ay|ng on stago somowhoro. lt was a b|t ot a s|oppy v|doo, ovor tho top tor tho
sort ot stutt wo d|d.
You cou|d comparo 7YR to looo|oss Ctoss || ko you cou|d comparo Vob Ro|os to loovoo
ooo lo||. lt anyth|ng, 7YR had a hoav|or too| than looo|oss Ctoss. 1horo's tho Ozzy th|ng and
tho lonn|o th|ng, and thon thoro's th|s. lt's ||ko thoso a|bums bo|ong to a |ost ora. l am ovon
strugg||ng to romombor stutt trom that t|mo, bocauso | n a way |t's w|pod trom my m|nd. Goozor
camo to tho show at tho |ammorsm|th Odoon and wo got h|m up to do 'lron Van' and 'Ch||dron
Ot 1ho Gravo'. lt was tho t|rst t|mo wo p|ayod togothor s|nco l|vo A|d, t|vo yoars oar||or. 1ho
roact|on trom tho tans was groat. l th|nk whonovor somobody trom tho or|g|na| ||no-up gots up,
thoy |ovo |t. l know l corta|n|y onjoyod |t.
Attor tho |ammorsm|th g|g wo wont to Europo. ln tho 1aap Edonha| |n Amstordam Cozy usod
CO
2
gas that was ||ko a prossuro cookor b|ow|ng |ts top w|th stoam shoot|ng up trom tho stago.
Whon that happonod |t b|ow a coup|o ot t||os out ot tho co|||ng, wh|ch thon camo down on h|s
hoad. 3o Cozy ||tora||y brought tho root down!
00
|t'a Eoavon and EoII again
ln 0ocombor 1000, attor tho t|na| datos ot tho 1Yl tour, Goozor camo back. |o had onjoyod
gott|ng up on stago w|th us at tho |ammorsm|th Odoon |n 3optombor. lo|| Vurray sa|d at tho
t|mo that ho thought |t was roa||y good whon Goozor p|ayod. lo|| was tho sort ot porson who
wou|d go: 'You shou|d try |t aga|n w|th Goozor.'
Wo d|d, Goozor camo back and lo|| was novor v|nd|ct|vo about |t.
Attor lonn|o dopartod back |n 1082, wo d|dn't spoak tor many yoars. lt wasn't ||ko thoro was
a |ot ot bad b|ood, but |t was just a ||tt|o uncomtortab|o. And ho and v|nny woro ott do|ng tho 0|o
stutt and thoy woro do|ng qu|to wo|| w|th |t, so |t was h|gh|y un||ko|y that wo woro go|ng to toam up
aga|n. 3ut ono day Goozor got on stago at ono ot lonn|o's shows and p|ayod on 'loon Kn|ghts'
w|th thom. 1hoy hadn't soon oach othor tor agos and roa||y got on wo||. Goozor sa|d to mo: 'lt
was roa||y good. lt to|t groat to p|ay w|th lonn|o aga|n.'
Whon l saw lonn|o aga|n wo startod ta|k|ng about do|ng a ||no-up. v|nny wasn't p|ay|ng w|th
h|m any moro at tho t|mo and lonn|o wont: 'l'vo got a roa||y good drummor, 3|mon Wr|ght.'
l wont: 'Wo||, wo aro th|nk|ng ot us|ng Cozy.'
1hat was a b|t awkward bocauso lonn|o and Cozy had p|ayod |n la|nbow togothor and d|dn't
roa||y got on that wo||. Evontua||y wo wont w|th Cozy anyway and startod wr|t|ng tor what was to
bocomo Lobomoolzot. lt was a d|tt|cu|t t|mo bocauso wo had a|roady rohoarsod w|th 1ony
Vart|n, who now had to |oavo tho band. lt wasn't roa||y ta|r on h|m. Wo had mado a tow groat
a|bums w|th 1ony, but ovorybody was oxc|tod about tho |doa ot gott|ng lonn|o back, corta|n|y
tho poop|o at tho rocord company and our managomonts as wo||. ln a way wo got tho o|d ||no-up
back, oxcopt tor tho tact that wo now had Cozy on drums.
3ut |t was just awtu|. 1horo was roa| tr|ct|on botwoon our s|ngor and our drummor. lonn|o
wasn't mad about hav|ng Cozy |n tho band and l romombor Cozy go|ng: 'lt that ||tt|o cunt says
anyth|ng to mo, l'm go|ng to smash h|m |n tho taco!'
lonn|o wont back to lA and so wo brought 1ony Vart|n |n and rohoarsod a b|t w|th h|m.
lonn|o roturnod onco aga|n, rop|ac|ng 1ony, |t was just ono b|g m|x-up botwoon thoso
rohoarsa|s. 1hon Cozy's horso had a hoart attack and to|| on h|m, broak|ng h|s h|p and knock|ng
h|m out ot act|on tor a |ong t|mo. lt |t wasn't such a horr|b|o th|ng to say, you cou|d ca|| h|s
acc|dont a b|oss|ng |n d|sgu|so. l |ovod Cozy and ho was a groat tr|ond, but you havo to havo tho
r|ght comb|nat|on |n a band. Wo a|roady had onough tr|ct|on go|ng on w|th ovoryth|ng anyway, so
wo noodod to havo somoth|ng stab|o. Gott|ng v|nny back was tho obv|ous answor to a|| our
prob|oms.
|av|ng lonn|o |n tho band was a good mus|ca| movo, bocauso tho two ot us workod wo||
togothor. Evon so, wr|t|ng Lobomoolzot took somo do|ng, bocauso wo changod |t around and
ana|ysod |t too much. 1horo was a |ot ot prossuro bocauso ovorybody was oxpoct|ng so much
trom us. ||rst ot a|| wo put lonn|o |n a b|t ot a cornor bocauso wo d|dn't want h|m to s|ng
anyth|ng about dungoons and dragons and ra|nbows. lt was a d|tt|cu|t th|ng to say to h|m,
bocauso ho'd sung about ra|nbows on ovory a|bum ho ovor d|d and horo, a|| ot a suddon, ho
was tacod w|th us go|ng: 'Can you not s|ng anyth|ng about ra|nbows, p|oaso?'
|o had to roth|nk tho who|o th|ng.
'l'vo a|ways usod ra|nbows!'
'Wo||, you know, wo th|nk |t's a b|t much.'
lt got a ||tt|o uncomtortab|o, and thoro woro tonso momonts. Wo rontod a houso |n |on|oy-|n-
Ardon and v|nny and lonn|o ||vod thoro wh||o tho rost ot us drovo down to rohoarsa|s trom our
homos. Wo jammod a |ot togothor and camo up w|th |oads ot stutt. v|nny tapod ovoryth|ng. |o'd
g|vo us a copy and thon wo'd ||vo w|th |t a b|t. Wo ana|ysod and pu||od thom apart a |ot, but |n tho
ond wo camo up w|th somo good songs.
lonn|o know th|s Gorman producor ca||od lo|nho|d Vack, and wo doc|dod to uso h|m. |o
had dono Ouoon and ElO and 3r|an Vay sa|d to mo: 'Aro you dot|n|to|y suro you aro go|ng to
work w|th Vack?'
l sa|d: 'Why?'
|o wont: 'Vwoah, hmm.'
ln othor words, wo'vo usod h|m and l'm not suro |t you shou|d uso h|m. lt d|dn't sound ||ko h|s
oxpor|oncos w|th Vack woro a|togothor pos|t|vo. |o d|d produco |t, but l th|nk that a|bum
suttorod trom too much ot a ||vo drum sound. Wo rocordod tho a|bum at tho lockt|o|d 3tud|os.
v|nny p|ayod |n th|s room that had g|ass a|| around and whon l hoar tho a|bum now l just hoar tho
br|ghtnoss |n that room. v|nny ||kod |t - drummors |ovo that b|g sound.
locord|ng wont wo||, though, |t took us no moro than s|x wooks. 1ho a|bum oponod w|th
'Computor God'. Goozor wroto tho |yr|cs tor that and s|nco that a|bum h|s |nput has gono trom
strongth to strongth. l'vo a|ways wantod to got h|m |nvo|vod mus|ca||y as wo||: 'Como on, show us
ono ot your r|tts.'
||s |mmod|ato roact|on was a|ways: 'Oh, you won't ||ko |t. You'ro go|ng to |augh.'
3ut ho's novor actua||y p|ayod mo anyth|ng tor mo to |augh at.
'Attor A|| (1ho 0oad)' was an ama|gamat|on ot Goozor's stutt and m|no. Goozor put ono ot tho
r|tts |n that song, wh|ch l thought was roa||y good. |o p|ayod a b|t ot gu|tar on |t as wo||, just tho
||tt|o t|||y b|t. Whon ho p|ayod th|s |doa to mo, l cou|dn't qu|to grasp what ho was do|ng. |o
startod p|ay|ng |t to show mo, and l sa|d: 'l can't got th|s, but you know |t. Why don't you p|ay |t?',
so ho d|d.
'1|mo Vach|no' was a song that wo'vo p|ayod throughout tho yoars. Wo wroto |t tor tho
oyoo`s ot|o soundtrack, and rocordod | t wo|| botoro wo wont |n w|th lo|nho|d Vack. lo|t
Vasos had producod 1ott 3ock's a|bum, and Ernost Chapman managod 1ott, so that's how wo
got h|m |n just to do that song. lo|t had dono tho A33A stutt |n tho oar|y days. |rom A33A to
3abbath - qu|to a strotch!
1ho t|na| track ot tho a|bum was '3ur|od A||vo', a m|d-tompo song that had an a|most grungy
sound. lt l say |t ||ko that, |t sounds ||ko wo woro |nt|uoncod by grungo, but ot courso wo woron't.
1ho grungo bands had obv|ous|y boon |nt|uoncod by us, and l hoard a |ot ot thom say that
umptoon t|mos as wo||. Evon so, |t wasn't a part|cu|ar|y good t|mo tor our sort ot mus|c.
Lobomoolzot was vory wo|| roco|vod and |t chartod ta|r|y h|gh |n tho UK and tho 3tatos, but wo
thought |t wou|d do ovon bottor than that, bocauso wo hadn't boon togothor tor ton yoars.
Apart trom a|| that, l was not p|oasod w|th ovoryth|ng that happonod whon wo rocordod |t. 1h|s
band wasn't t|tt|ng ||ko a g|ovo, |t was a b|t vo|at||o. Wo woro about to go on tour, but at tho samo
t|mo l to|t tho th|ng cou|d b|ow up at any m|nuto.
70
Bound and ahackIod
1ho modost|y s|zod vonuos wo p|ayod dur|ng tho 0ohuman|zor tour rot|octod tho chang|ng
t|mos, but wo startod ott w|th a bang. ln 1uno 1002 wo d|d hugo shows |n 3ao lau|o, lorto
A|ogro and l|o do 1ano|ro. 1hat was a b|t w||d. 1horo was ono show whoro wo shat ourso|vos.
Wo woro |n tho dross|ng room and wo hoard that tho crowd was r|ot|ng. Wo woron't supposod
to bo on unt|| a corta|n t|mo, but thoy wantod us on thoro and thon. 1hoy woro gott|ng a||
ovoroxc|tod and startod |nvad|ng tho stago. Wo thought, Chr|st, |t thoy storm |t, wo'vo got no
chanco backstago! Evontua||y thoy got thom to movo back and wo wont on, but that was a b|t
ha|ry.
1o bo honost, wo woro moro ot a hazard to ourso|vos than tho crowd was. Ono n|ght |n 3ao
lau|o l wont to bod and |ott lonn|o and Goozor |n tho bar. 1hoy got drunk and had a
d|sagroomont. Goozor wa|kod out a|| workod up about |t and thoro was th|s b|g bronzo statuo |n
tho contro ot tho |obby, wh|ch ho doc|dod to hoadbutt. Guoss who camo ott worso?
l d|dn't know about |t unt|| tho noxt day, whon l saw h|m |n dark g|assos. l sa|d: 'You a|| r|ght?'
|o mumb|od: 'Yoah . . .'
'Wo||, b||moy, what happonod to you?'
'Wouhh . . . |ong story . . . l dunno . . .'
lt ho dr|nks too much, Goozor can got a b|t v|o|ont. 3ut ho p|ckod on tho wrong b|oko thon. l
cou|dn't bo||ovo |t, h|s oyo camo up ||ko a ba||oon.
On tho |ast 3|ack 3abbath and |oavon 8 |o|| tours wo had |nd|v|dua| dross|ng rooms. Wo d|d
that to g|vo oach othor spaco. lt l wantod to run ovor stutt and pract|so tor a wh||o, tho othors
d|dn't havo to s|t thoro and ||ston to mo. And |t thoy wantod to start chatt|ng w|th tr|onds, l d|dn't
want to ||ston to thom. l protor not to soo anybody botoro a show, bocauso l ||ko to got my hoad
around what wo aro go|ng to do, wh||o lonn|o wou|d somot|mos soo poop|o. And Goozor ||kos
to |ock h|mso|t away and s|oop. 3ut on tho 0ohuman|zor tour wo cou|dn't havo our own dross|ng
rooms bocauso ot tho s|zo ot tho vonuos. lt was mo and Goozor |n ono dross|ng room and
lonn|o and v|nny |n anothor.
1h|s a|so camo about bocauso thoro was a b|t ot tons|on botwoon both part|os. Wo d|dn't
hato oach othor - |t was just down to tho d|ttoront ways d|ttoront poop|o ta|k, what w|th lonn|o
st||| bo|ng vory outspokon and mo and Goozor avo|d|ng any k|nd ot d|roct controntat|on. 3ut
dosp|to tho downs|zod vonuos and tho tons|on wo woro p|ay|ng wo|| and wo pushod on.
At tho samo t|mo Ozzy announcod h|s rot|romont. About two months botoro ho was to do tho
supposod|y |ast g|gs ot h|s ||to, on 18 and 14 lovombor 1002, at tho lac|t|c Amph|thoator |n
Costa Vosa, Ca||torn|a, wo woro askod to portorm thoro w|th h|m. lt was Ozzy's t|rst tarowo||
tour, so wo gonu|no|y bo||ovod that ho was go|ng to rot|ro. 3o whon thoy askod us to do |t, wo
sa|d: 'Yoah, okay, ot courso wo'|| bo thoro.'
Wo woro go|ng to opon tor Ozzy w|th tho curront band and thon do throo songs w|th tho
or|g|na| ||no-up at tho ond ot h|s show, to round |t a|| ott. Wo thought |t wou|d bo a n|co gosturo to
do |t. Wo askod lonn|o and ho sa|d: 'l'm not do|ng that.'
ln no uncorta|n torms.
'l'm not support|ng a c|own.'
|o was adamant ho wou|dn't do |t, but wo woro usod to h|m bo|ng vory d|roct, so wo put |t |n
our tour schodu|o anyway. Wo thought, wo||, ho m| ght sott|o down and chango h|s m|nd. Ot
courso lonn|o d|dn't, so that was tho na|| |n tho cott|n. |a|r duos to h|m: ho d|d say trom tho
outsot that ho wasn't go|ng to do |t.
Wo had agrood to como and p|ay and |t was a|| go|ng ahoad so wo cou|dn't roa||y pu|| out. Wo
noodod to rop|aco lonn|o tor tho two Costa Vosa shows and wo thought, wo||, 1ony Vart|n
knows tho songs. 3o wo askod h|m t|rst, but thoro was somo prob|om w|th that. 1hon lob
|a|tord got |n touch and ho sa|d: 'l can do |t |t you want mo to.'
Wo got a rohoarsa| room tor ono or two days |n lhoon|x, whoro lob ||vod, and wo wont
through a now sot to p|ay on th|s show. Wo d|d somo lonn|o-ora songs and lob ovon
suggostod do|ng somo ot tho 1ony Vart|n stutt. Wo a|so rohoarsod somo ot tho o|d 3abbath
songs that wo know Ozzy wou|d novor do, ||ko '3ymptom Ot 1ho Un|vorso'. lob st||| had tho
rango to bo ab|o to do that. ln tho ond wo had a t|ght sot ot o|ovon songs. lt was ono attor tho
othor, bang, bang, bang.
Wo had managod to t|nd a s|ngor tor tho Costa Vosa g|gs, but thon somobody o|so throw a
spannor |n tho works. 1wo n|ghts botoro |t was a|| supposod to happon, l suddon|y tound myso|t
|n ja||.
Wo had t|n|shod a g|g |n 3acramonto. l camo ott stago, got |nto tho tour bus and somobody
knockod on tho door: 'ls Vr lomm| on board?'
'Who wants to know?'
'Wo'ro w|th tho 0|str|ct Attornoy's ott|co and wo'vo got a warrant tor h|s arrost.'
l thought, oh, no! What tho tuck |s th|s about?
1hoy sa|d: 'Can wo como on board and tako Vr lomm|?'
'lo.'
'Wo||, wo can o|thor como on board now, or koop tho bus horo unt|| tho propor papors arr|vo
and como on board thon and tako h|m.'
3o l sa|d: '1ust |ot thom como on.'
Vy ox-w|to Vo||nda had tr|od to do mo tor ch||d support. 3ho had c|a|mod that l wasn't pay|ng
|t. lnstoad ot chock|ng that t|rst, thoy just camo out to arrost mo. You'ro |mmod|ato|y gu||ty unt||
you'vo provon your |nnoconco. 1hoy pu||od cars boh|nd and |n tront ot tho bus and that was |t.
1hoy took mo ott tho bus and sa|d: 'Wo'ro not go|ng to handcutt you now. Wo'|| tako you |n a car
and wo'|| go out around a cornor whoro thoro'ro no tans.'
As soon as wo woro out ot v|ow thoy handcuttod mo and put cha|ns on my |ogs. l was s|tt|ng |n
tho back ot th|s car and wo travo||od tor an hour to Vodosto. 1hat's whoro Vo||nda ||vod, so
that's whoro thoy woro go|ng to put mo |n ja||. l was wondor|ng what tho ho|| was go|ng on.
1hoy put mo |n tho ho|d|ng co|| w|th a guy w|th no sh|rt on, who kopt say|ng: 'You don't want to
bo |n th|s ja||, man, thoy'|| k||| you.'
l was |n Vodosto County 1a|| a|| n|ght and l cou|dn't s|oop bocauso ot tho no|so and tho worry. l
probab|y |ost about ton pounds ovorn|ght. l kopt th|nk|ng, doos anybody ovon know l'm |n horo?
l'm vory gratotu| to G|or|a 3ut|or, bocauso sho kopt phon|ng tho cops up ovory t|ttoon m|nutos,
say|ng: '0on't put h|m |n a co|| w|th anybody o|so, you'vo got to put h|m on h|s own!'
Evontua||y thoy d|d, thoy put mo |n a co|| by myso|t. 1ho guy noxt door to mo was conv|ncod l
had como to k||| h|m. |o sa|d: 'l know you want to k||| mo, but l'm go|ng to got you |n tho showor. l
know 3atan sont you!'
|uck|ng ho||.
lt was a 1hursday n|ght and thoy wantod ba|| monoy tho noxt day, othorw|so l wou|d bo |n thoro
ovor tho wookond, unt|| Vonday. l had to got out to do a g|g |n Oak|and tho noxt n|ght and tho
Costa Vosa th|ng w|th Ozzy tho day attor. 1hoy sot ba|| at $7b,000, an onormous sum ot monoy
bocauso not pay|ng ch||d support was a b|g th|ng thoro. l had pa|d, |t was a|| rubb|sh, but l d|dn't
havo a |og to stand on. Evontua||y a |awyor camo |n w|th a br|otcaso w|th sovonty-t|vo grand |n
cash. G|or|a had phonod la|ph 3akor and Ernost Chapman and thoy had prov|dod tho monoy.
l had to go |n tront ot tho judgo a|| shack|od and l to|t as |t l had comm|ttod a murdor. As soon
as l ontorod tho ja||, |t got around ||ko w||dt|ro. A guy who was sorv|ng tho cottoo to ovorybody,
through tho bars |n t|n mugs, know who l was and so protty soon a|| tho pr|sonors know. 1ho
guards woro wa|k|ng mo down to th|s chambor to soo tho judgo and thoro woro a|| thoso guys |n
thoso co||s that l passod, go|ng: '|oy! 1ony! What's up!'
1ho govornor ot tho ja||, |n h|s su|t and t|o, sa|d: 'l'm to|||ng you now: wo don't want a 1ohn
lonnon |nc|dont horo. Wo aro go|ng to wa|k on oach s|do ot you, you'|| havo ono porson boh|nd
you and ono porson |n tront ot you, and you koop up paco w|th thom.'
lt was unroa|. Vo w|th my handcutts on and w|th thoso shack|os around my |ogs, just try|ng to
wa|k, and |n tho moant|mo a|| thoso k|ds shout|ng a|| th|s stutt.
Unbo||ovab|o.
lt was on tho tront pago ot tho papors ot courso: 'Arrostod!'
l got out on ba|| but thoy took my passport ott mo, as l wasn't a||owod to |oavo Amor|ca. 1ho
|awyor rocommondod l got out ot Ca||torn|a. |o sa|d: 'Go somowhoro n|co and just s|t t|ght.'
3o attor do|ng Costa Vosa l wont to ||or|da, as tar away trom Ca||torn|a as poss|b|o w|thout
|oav|ng tho country. 3ut l dovo|opod a comp|ox about go|ng out |n tho stroots. Evory t|mo l saw a
po||coman, l to|t gu||ty.
'Whoro's your passport?'
'l havon't got |t. 1hoy took |t ott mo.'
A|| l d|d was s|t t|ght and koop |n contact w|th tho |awyor. 1hat sot mo back a b|t, as ho was
oxpons|vo, a top guy com|ng to got mo out. Evontua||y |t a|| got sortod out and l got my passport
back and l wont homo. 3ut l don't th|nk l ovor got tho $7b,000 back.
lt was a r|ght moss, that who|o th|ng.
1hoy got mo out ot ja|| |n t|mo to do tho show that n|ght |n Oak|and. lt was |r|day tho 18th and
|t wou|d bo lonn|o's |ast g|g w|th us. Wo broko up attor that. lt novor actua||y camo to a '1hat's
|t!' Wo just partod company. lonn|o rotusod to do tho Costa Vosa g|g and sa|d: 'lt you go and
do |t, you'|| bo do|ng |t w|thout mo.'
1hoso woro tho torms undor wh|ch wo d|d |t, and so wo d|d |t.
1ho t|rst ot tho two Costa Vosa n|ghts, lob was norvous. |o wa|kod on stago way too oar|y
and ho startod tho song too oar|y as wo||. lt's b|oody tough to |oarn somobody o|so's songs that
qu|ck, and thon to go on and actua||y do thom w|th tho band, but lob d|d groat. |o roa||y |s a
groat protoss|ona|.
1ho socond and |ast n|ght wo d|d tho th|ng w|th Ozzy. Wo camo ott stago attor our sot w|th
lob, and thon |ator wo camo on aga|n, mo and Goozor and 3||| Ward, who'd jo|nod us tor tho
occas|on as wo||, and wo d|d '3|ack 3abbath', '|a|r|os Woar 3oots', 'lron Van' and 'larano|d'
w|th Ozzy. 0o|ng thoso tow songs togothor brought back a n|co v|bo and tho crowd was groat.
1hoy woro |n awo, thoy cou|dn't bo||ovo wo woro on stago togothor attor a|| thoso yoars. lt was a
groat g|g.
Ot courso attor that thoro woro rumours a|| ovor tho p|aco about tho o|d ||no-up gott|ng togothor
aga|n. Evorybody assumod, oh, thoy'|| probab|y do |t. Wo||, |t may havo como up, but wo d|dn't
do anyth|ng at a|| about |t at that t| mo. lt was a groat th|ng to do, but attor tho show wo woro |ott
w|th noth|ng. Wo had a b|g t|na|o and that was |t. Wo d|dn't havo a band any moro.
l sat |n ||or|da tor s|x wooks, wa|t|ng tor my passport, dy|ng to go homo.
71
|n harmony with Croaa Puroaoa
l roturnod homo and my t|rst thought was to got a band togothor aga|n. Wo aud|t|onod somo
3r|t|sh drummors, but nono ot thom workod out. At a corta|n po|nt 3obby lond|no|||, who had
p|ayod w|th la|nbow, ca||od mo. |o wantod to do |t. l supposo |t's tho o|d th|ng: |t you don't ca||,
you don't got anywhoro. |a|r duos to h|m, ho got |n touch and |t got h|m tho job. |o t|ow ovor and
as soon as ho startod p|ay|ng, that was |t. |o was a s|m||ar drummor to v|nny, vory proc|so. |o
t|ttod |n porsona||ty-w|so as wo||.
Wo d|dn't |ook around tor othor s|ngors, wo s|mp|y askod 1ony Vart|n back aga|n. |o got
scrowod around so many t|mos by us roa||y, but ho was good onough to hang |n thoro. As soon
as 3obby camo |n wo startod wr|t|ng tho songs tor our noxt a|bum, Ctoss Potposos. 3o |t was
mo, 1ony, Goozor, 3obby and Goott, and |t wont roa||y wo||. Wo t|n|shod wr|t| ng tho now songs |n
tho summor ot 1008.
lo|t Vasos ho|p|ng us out w|th '1|mo Vach|no' tor tho oyoo`s ot|o soundtrack had boon a
good oxpor|onco, so th|s t|mo wo askod h|m to produco tho who|o ot Ctoss Potposos. |o was
good to work w|th and tho rocord|ng wont smooth|y. 3ongs ||ko 'v|rtua| 0oath', a hoavy, powortu|
r|tt, and '1ho |and 1hat locks 1ho Crad|o' woro jo|nt ottorts botwoon mo and Goozor, who
camo up w|th moro and moro |doas. And 'Card|na| 3|n' was a song about a Catho||c pr|ost trom
lro|and, who h|d h|s |ovo ch||d tor twonty-ono yoars. 1hat wou|d bo a vory top|ca| song now, w|th
a|| tho stutt that's boon go|ng on qu|to rocont|y.
'Ev|| Eyo' was a track wo woro work|ng on whon van |a|on woro p|ay|ng tho lEC |n
3|rm|ngham. Edd|o got |n touch w|th mo and l sa|d: 'Wo'ro rohoars|ng. Wo'ro wr|t|ng a now
a|bum.'
|o wantod to got togothor, so l p|ckod h|m up trom tho hoto| |n 3|rm|ngham and wo drovo
down to |on|oy-|n-Ardon whoro wo rohoarsod. Wo got h|m a gu|tar trom tho mus|c shop, ono ot
h|s modo|s, had a jam and ho p|ayod on 'Ev|| Eyo'. l p|ayod tho r|tt and ho p|ayod a groat so|o
ovor |t. Untortunato|y wo d|dn't rocord |t propor|y on our ||tt|o tapo p|ayor so l novor got a chanco
to hoar |t!
1hat was a tunny day. Edd|o sa|d: '0on't you want any boors? Can l p|ck somo boors up?'
l cou|dn't dr|nk bocauso l had to dr|vo h|m back to tho hoto|, but wo p|ckod up a caso ot boor,
got to tho rohoarsa| p|aco and ho was |og|oss by tho t|mo wo |ott. 3ut |t was groat to soo h|m,
and |t was groat ho camo ovor to havo a p|ay. |av|ng a jam w|th Edd|o and |ott|ng go a b|t, |t
gavo ovorybody a boost.
1ho a|bum was ro|oasod |n tho bog|nn|ng ot 1004. ln tho s|oovo notos l gavo a b|g thanks to
'a|| at tho Vodosto County 1a|| tor tho k|nd hosp|ta||ty and mak|ng mo roa||zo that thoro's no
p|aco ||ko homo'.
Evon though Ctoss Potposos wasn't a hugo so||or, |t d|d a|| r|ght. |or onco l.l.3. woro gott|ng
boh|nd |t, thoy woro ovon do|ng advort|somonts tor |t on V1v. lt was w|th ronowod cont|donco
that wo ombarkod on anothor wor|d tour.
Votrhoad supportod us |n Amor|ca. 1ho|r s|ngor, lommy, |s a roa| charactor.
Ot courso, thoro's no tood on tho|r r|dor at a||, on|y boozo. You wa|k past tho|r dross|ng room
and thoro's noth|ng to oat, but thoro |s a|| th|s w|no and 1ack 0an|o|'s and boor. 1hoy aro tho
op|tomo ot rock 'n' ro||. lt just goos on and on and on w|th thom. l'|| novor torgot soo|ng tho|r
gu|tar p|ayor, lh|| Campbo||, at tho s|do ot tho stago onco. |o throw up, and tho noxt m|nuto ho
was on stago, p|ay|ng away. Cor b||moy, how do thoy do that? |ow do thoy copo w|th that? 1ho|r
bod|os must bo |ndostruct|b|o.
lommy |s probab|y go|ng to d|o on stago. l corta|n|y don't soo h|m sott||ng down |n somo o|d
poop|o's homo. |o usod to go on tho|r tour bus and ho'd got ott |n tho samo c|othos tho noxt
day, on stago as wo||, como ott . . . Votrhoad, thoy just ||vo ||ko gyps|os roa||y.
Ono tunny story l hoard about lommy: ho was p|ay|ng away and ho sa|d to h|s mon|tor guy:
'Can you hoar th|s horr|b|o sound com|ng out ot my mon|tors?'
1ho b|oko sa|d: 'lo.'
And lommy wont: 'lo|thor can l. 1urn mo up!'
1ho |ast tour wo d|d w|th 0|o, wo had thom on ono ot tho shows w|th us. lommy camo up to
mo and sa|d: '|ow aro you onjoy|ng tho tour?'
l sa|d: 'Oh, l roa||y ||ko |t. lt's groat that wo'vo a|| known oach othor so |ong and wo'ro a|| around
tho samo ago.'
And ho sa|d: 'Yoah, and wo a|| know tho samo doad poop|o as wo||.'
l was th|nk|ng, ho's h|t |t on tho hoad. 3||moy, ho's r|ght!
1ony Vart|n had a tabu|ous vo|co, but wo woro a|ways on to h|m about h|s portormanco. |o
was vory amatour|sh as tar as that was concornod. Ovorn|ght ho wont trom work|ng on|y |oca|
||tt|o vonuos |n 3|rm|ngham to b|g stagos ovorywhoro. lt was a d|tt|cu|t pos|t|on to bo |n, to havo
to tront a band that ovorybody knows trom groat portormors ||ko Ozzy and lonn|o. lt was a b|t
much tor h|m and, just ||ko lay G|||on whon ho jo|nod us, 1ony got carr|od away w|th |t. ||s hoad
got a b|t b|ggor. Wo woro p|ay|ng |n Europo somowhoro and 1ony had th|s portab|o v|doo
p|ayor. |o was at tho bar ot tho hoto| show|ng thoso poop|o a v|doo ot h|mso|t portorm|ng w|th
us: 'look, that's mo up thoro!'
vory unprotoss|ona|: you just don't do stutt ||ko that. A|bort Chapman, who was manag|ng h|m
at tho t|mo, was ||v|d. |o sa|d: 'lut that tuck|ng th|ng away!'
And thon ho suddon|y startod go|ng undor tho namo ot 1ony 'Cat' Vart|n. Whoro d|d th|s 'Cat'
como trom a|| ot a suddon? |o d|d thoso th|ngs that woro just ott tho wa||.
Ono t|mo |n Amor|ca dur|ng tho Cross lurposos tour, h|s |ack ot stago prosonco or star
qua||ty, or whatovor you want to ca|| |t, bocamo pa|ntu||y c|oar. l|ght |n tho m|dd|o ot tho show
1ony doc|dod to run a|ong tho aud|onco botwoon tho stago and tho barr|ors ho|d|ng tho poop|o
back |n tho tront. |o jumpod ott tho stago to start h|s run and th|s socur|ty guy grabbod h|m and
tossod h|m out bocauso ho thought ho was a tan.
'3ut l'm tho s|ngor!'
'Yoah, r|ght.'
1h|ngs ||ko that wou|d novor happon to Ozzy or lonn|o. 3ut you cou|dn't comp|a|n about
1ony's vo|co. 1hat was just groat. |o'd got on and do tho job, and ho novor m|ssod a show. 1ony
was a n|co guy as wo|| and ho stuck w|th |t tor ton yoars.
ln Apr|| and Vay wo d|d tho UK and Europo w|th Cathodra| and Godspood. 1hoso two bands
travo||od togothor, but thoy woro a|ways t|ght|ng. lt got worso as tho tour wont on. You'd soo thom
t|rst w|th st|ck|ng p|astor horo and thoro, and noxt you'd soo tho bandagos como out and ono
had h|s arm |n a s||ng. loa||y pocu||ar.
ln Apr| | our g|g at tho |ammorsm|th Odoon was rocordod and t||mod tor a v|doo and C0
packago ca||od Ctoss Potposos Llvo, wh|ch was ro|oasod about a yoar |ator. l onco hoard
somobody doscr|bo |t as tho most undorpromotod ro|oaso ot a|| t|mo. 1hat's probab|y vory truo,
bocauso ovon l can on|y vaguo|y romombor |t bo|ng ro|oasod.
1ho t|na| Europoan show turnod out to bo 3obby lond|no|||'s |ast g|g, bocauso wo t|n|shod tho
tour aga|n w|th a coup|o ot shows |n 3outh Amor|ca and l was ta|k|ng to 3||| and l sa|d: 'Wo'ro
do|ng 3outh Amor|ca noxt.'
|o wont: 'l'd |ovo to p|ay 3outh Amor|ca!'
'Oh? You want to do |t w|th us thon?'
'Oh, yoah!'
3||moy.
|o sa|d: 'What do you want mo to do? Voot you thoro?'
|o d|dn't know any ot tho songs w|th 1ony Vart|n, so l sa|d: 'lo. You'vo got to como to
Eng|and and rohoarso.'
'Oh, a|| r|ght thon.'
|o camo ovor, wo rohoarsod and ho was groat on tho o|d 3abbath stutt, but ho strugg|od a b|t
on nowor songs ||ko '|oad|oss Cross'.
lt was Goozor, mo and 3|||, so wo had a|most tho o|d ||no-up, p|us 1ony Vart|n. Ott wo wont to
3outh Amor|ca, w|th K|ss and 3|ayor on tho b|||, as wo|| as a tow othors. Wo got on stago |n tront
ot somoth|ng ||ko 100,000 poop|o and tho prossuro was on, wo got by but |n tho ond droppod
tho nowor mator|a|. ln ordor to koop go|ng wo ondod up on|y do|ng songs ||ko 'lron Van' and
'War l|gs', tho stutt 3||| know. 3ut ta|r duos to 1ony, ho sang thoso o|d songs groat.
Attor tho tour ondod, Goozor wont back to Ozzy. 1h|ngs noodod to chango. l sa|d: '1hat's |t!
l'm gott|ng lo|| and Cozy back!' W|th|n t|vo m|nutos wo woro back togothor aga|n. 1horo m|ght
havo boon somo hard too||ngs bocauso ot how th| ngs had workod out |n tho past, but wo
roso|vod that. Wo got back togothor and startod work on tho lotbloooo a|bum.
72
1ho ono that ahouId'vo boon Forbiddon
1ho rocord company suggostod wo shou|d uso a moro h|p producor. 1hoy woro go|ng on about
tho guy who producod lco 1, tho gu|tar p|ayor |n h|s band, 3ody Count, Ern|o Cunn|gan, bottor
known as Ern|o C. 1hoy sa|d |t wou|d g|vo us a b|t moro stroot crod, bocauso thoy thought wo'd
|ost that. You know what |t's ||ko: you got thoso wh|z-k|ds at tho company who como up w|th
thoso groat bra|nwavos that don't work. And that was ono ot thom, but l ha|t-hoartod|y wont a|ong
w|th |t. Cozy wasn't mad on tho |doa o|thor and now l can soo why. 1ho product|on was droadtu|.
|oro l was work|ng w|th somoono trom a h|p hop background. lot that thoro's anyth|ng wrong
w|th that, but l just wasn't tam|||ar w|th |t and |t oponod up a who|o now can ot worms tor mo.
1ho t|rst th|ng Ern|o C d|d was to got Cozy to p|ay th|s ta-ta-ta-ta bass drum stutt. lt's a
d|ttoront sty|o ot p|ay|ng a|togothor that thoso h| p hop guys do as opposod to what wo do, and |t
causod a|| sorts ot ruckusos. Cozy was a rospoctod drummor |n h|s own t|o|d, and horo was
somobody com|ng a|ong, go|ng: 'l|ay th|s.'
lt roa||y ottondod h|m. And tho moro Cozy tr|od, tho moro ho got p|ssod ott bocauso ho d|dn't
want to p|ay |t. lt mado |t vory d|tt|cu|t tor ovorybody, bocauso wo a|| to|t that bad v|bo. 1o mako
th|ngs worso, a|| th|s was com|ng trom a producor who d|dn't know anyth|ng about us. Ern|o
c|a|mod ho d|d, but |t was a tota| shamb|os. 1ho sound wasn't vory good on anyth|ng and l wasn't
happy at a|| w|th that a|bum. lono ot us was.
l thought, wo||, maybo |t's mo that's wrong. Vaybo thoy can do a bottor job than us. 3o wo
gavo thom tho bonot|t ot tho doubt and just kopt out ot |t. A|so, |t wo'd havo startod throw|ng our
oar |n, say|ng, 'Wo want that to sound ||ko th|s', wo wou|d'vo boon back to whoro wo startod
aga|n. What wou|d havo boon tho po|nt ot hav|ng somobody como |n thon?
3|nco tho days ot lodgor 3a|n l'vo a|ways boon |nvo|vod |n tho product|on and tho m|x|ng
somowhoro a|ong tho ||no, but not at a|| w|th th|s a|bum. lt |t had gono down a storm l wou|d roa||y
havo boon worr|od: b||moy, |t must havo boon mo a|| a|ong!
lt was a bad oxpor|onco trom start to t|n|sh. lotbloooo was ro|oasod |n 1uno 100b. l thought |t
was crap, ovon down to tho cartoon covor art, so |t d|dn't surpr|so mo that |t d|dn't so||. |owovor,
wo d|d tour w|th |t. Wo startod tho |orb|ddon tour ott w|th two b|g tost|va| g|gs |n 3wodon and
0onmark and thon wont to tho 3tatos, aga|n w|th Votrhoad support|ng us. Cozy and mo got up
to a |ot ot s|||y pranks, ho was as bad as mo. 3ott|ng poop|o's bods up and tak|ng tho |ogs ott
th|ngs and romov|ng tho 1v trom tho hoto| room and throw|ng |t out ot tho w|ndow - |t was back
to tho o|d days aga|n. l got ono ot thoso b|ow-up do||s and l put c|othos on |t and l hung |t trom tho
ba|cony ot our hoto| |n los Ango|os. loop|o woro |ook|ng up and wo woro scroam|ng and
shout|ng, protond|ng thoro was an argumont go|ng on. Voro and moro poop|o woro |ook|ng up
and thon l throw tho do|| ott tho ba|cony. Vad |t was.
l'vo a|ways boon ono tor p|ay|ng jokos on poop|o |n ovory ||no-up ot 3|ack 3abbath, but, ot
courso, thoy got back at mo as wo||. ln tho oar|y days l was onco tak|ng a showor whon thoro
was a knock on tho hoto| room door. l oponod |t and |t was Ozzy w|th a tu|| buckot ot wator. As l
put my hoad out, ho throw tho wator ovor mo, droppod tho buckot and ran. l startod attor h|m, but
l had no c|othos on and tho door shut boh|nd mo. l thought, ah, tor Chr|st's sako!
l knockod on tho othor guys' doors bocauso l wantod to phono down to rocopt|on to got ho|p,
but ot courso thoy wou|dn't |ot mo |n. l stood thoro |n tho ha||way nakod and, d|ng!, tho ||tt door
oponod and a|| thoso poop|o camo out. 1hoy woro a|| drossod up trom tho|r n|ght out and thoro
was mo w|th no c|othos on at a||. Wo a|| stood thoro, star|ng at oach othor, not know|ng what to
do. 1hoy must havo thought l was a r|ght porvort. Evontua||y socur|ty camo up, bocauso
somoono had phonod down say|ng: '1horo's a nakod man runn|ng around |n tho ha||way!'
l had to oxp|a|n what had happonod and thoy |ot mo |n my room aga|n. 1ho guys got mo good
that t|mo.
Vy most ombarrass|ng momont was whon wo camo back trom Amor|ca attor a b|g tour. Wo
got to |oathrow and ono ot tho guys sa|d to mo: 'l can't got a|| my su|tcasos on tho tro||oy. You
cou|dn't put ono on your tro||oy, cou|d you?'
l sa|d: '3uro.'
And so l d|d. Wo wont through 'noth|ng to doc|aro', and ot courso thoy stoppod mo.
'Excuso mo, s|r, aro thoso your su|tcasos?'
'Yos.'
'Can wo |ook |n thom?'
'Go ahoad.'
1hoy oponod my su|tcasos and thoy woro t|no. 1hon thoy got to th|s othor caso and oponod
that up. l cou|d'vo droppod doad on tho spot, bocauso th|s su|tcaso was tu|| ot sox toys. 1horo
woro b|ow-up do||s, d||dos, handcutts, a|| tho paraphorna||a. l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t and d|dn't know
what to say. 1horo was a quouo boh|nd mo, othor poop|o wa|t|ng to havo tho|r su|tcasos
soarchod. 1hoy woro pu|||ng a|| th|s stutt out and l hoard a|| th|s g|gg||ng go|ng on boh|nd mo. l
was so ombarrassod, ospoc|a||y bocauso thoy know who l was. And, ot courso, l cou|dn't
suddon|y go: 'lt's not my su|tcaso.'
1hoy roa||y sot mo up and l havo to say |t was a groat ono. Ot courso, attor l'd gono through
customs thoro thoy a|| woro, |n st|tchos. 1hoy thought |t was h||ar|ous. 1hat's what happons whon
you p|ay jokos on poop|o. 1hoy got you back!
Wo t|n|shod |n tho t|rst wook ot August w|th throo datos |n Ca||torn|a, carotu||y avo|d|ng tho c|ty
ot Vodosto. 1hoy woro Cozy's |ast g|gs w|th us. l had soon |t com|ng as tho tour progrossod. |o
wasn't happy at a||, bocauso tho s|tuat|on had changod. |o wasn't |nvo|vod as much |n tho
wr|t|ng as botoro, |t was down to mo aga|n. |o wasn't tho co-capta|n ot tho sh|p any moro o|thor
and ho d|dn't too| at a|| comtortab|o w|th that. And b|oody Ern|o C to|||ng h|m what to p|ay
obv|ous|y turnod tho tab|os on h|m. 3o ho doc|dod to qu|t tho band and |ott.
3obby lond|no||| camo back and ott wo wont aga|n, on a tour that was schodu|od to go on
unt|| wo|| |nto 0ocombor. 3ut my arm was go|ng numb. lt startod to got roa||y bad |n Amor|ca, so l
wont to a doctor thoro who a|so happonod to bo a surgoon. |o sa|d: 'Your prob|om |s |n your
nock and |t's roa||y dangorous. You nood |t oporatod on as soon as you can. And |t just so
happons l can do tho oporat|on tomorrow.'
l wont: '|ang on. lo!'
l thought, Chr|st, l'vo got to got homo to Eng|and and got |t propor|y soon to. l t|ow homo and
wont to soo two spoc|a||sts. 1hoy sa|d: 'lo, tho prob|om |s |n thoro, |n your wr|st.'
1hank God l d|dn't go w|th th|s b|oko |n Amor|ca, or l wou|d'vo had an oporat|on on my nock. l
had a carpa| tunno| oporat|on |nstoad. 1hoy cut |nto my |ns|do arm, just abovo tho wr|st, and |t's
a|most ||ko a p|ast|c band that goos around thoro. l was awako wh||o thoy oporatod on mo and l
cou|d actua||y hoar |t go 'crack!'. lt mado mo too| s|ck bocauso l cou|d hoar tho no|so and |t to|t
a|| co|d as tho b|ood camo out. |oro l was, gott|ng nausoous, and tho two surgoons woro morr||y
ta|k|ng away: 'Oh, d|d you soo that th|ng on 1v tho othor day . . .'
1hoy woro try|ng to |nvo|vo mo |n tho convorsat|on as wo||, go|ng: 'Oh, |ook how |ovo|y th|s |s
cut away', but thoro was no way l cou|d |ook at |t. 3|oody ho||, l was do|ng my utmost not to vom|t
wh||o l was bo|ng oporatod on.
1hon thoy st|tchod |t up and that was |t. Attor a wh||o l cou|d p|ay aga|n. lt curod |t and l was
novor bothorod by that aga|n. lowadays |t's ovoryth|ng o|so that's p|ay|ng up!
Carpa| tunno| d|d cut tho |orb|ddon tour short, as wo had to canco| a coup|o ot wooks' worth
ot datos. 1ust as wo||, roa||y. l t|nancod tho tour and pay|ng tor tho bus, tho crow, tho hoto|s, tho
mus|c|ans, th|s and that, and |t was actua||y cost|ng mo monoy to go out and p|ay. Wo just
cou|dn't koop on do|ng that.
l was s|tt|ng back homo w|th my arm a|| bandagod up. Whon tho tour stoppod tho band broko
up and |t wou|d bo many yoars botoro l'd soo 1ony Vart|n aga|n. And l had no |doa that
lotbloooo was 3|ack 3abbath's |ast stud|o a|bum ovor. Or at |oast tor a vory, vory |ong t|mo.
78
FIying aoIo with CIonn Eughoa
Attor tho lotbloooo a|bum tho doa| w|th l.l.3. locords oxp|rod and to a|| |ntonts and purposos
3|ack 3abbath was on ho|d. l ta|kod to lh|| 3ant|o|d and la|ph 3akor about work|ng w|th a
s|ngor whon l hoard G|onn |ughos was com|ng to Eng|and. |o camo ovor to soo mo, and wo
startod wr|t|ng songs roa||y qu|ck|y. |o was s|ng|ng and p|ay|ng bass. lt was on|y a b|t ot tun
roa||y, what wo d|d wasn't |ntondod to bo ro|oasod. lt was just somoth|ng to soo what wo cou|d
do. A|so l noodod to work bocauso at that po|nt l wasn't do|ng a tat |ot. l noodod to koop myso|t
go|ng.
G|onn suggostod gott|ng 0avo |o||and, who, yoars ago, was tho drummor w|th 1udas lr|ost.
0avo camo ovor and p|ayod a b|t on th|s o|octr|c k|t. Wo put somo |doas down and wo wont |nto
U340's stud|o, ca||od 0El, so that wo cou|d domo tho stutt propor|y, w|th 0avo p|ay|ng a roa|
k|t. Wo rocordod a|| tho songs and thon |ott thom bocauso l wont to do tho t|rst 3|ack 3abbath
roun|on tour w|th Ozzy, attor wh|ch l startod to work on my so|o a|bum, wh|ch wont |n a d|ttoront
d|roct|on a|togothor. 1hat's why thoso 0El soss|ons just got |ost, torgotton about.
Attor a wh||o thoso th|ngs camo out as a boot|og. l thought, how d|d thoy got |t? l askod G|onn
and ho sa|d: 'l don't know.' 1horo woro on|y so many poop|o who had accoss to tho tapos. lt
cou|d'vo boon somobody at tho stud|o, somoono to do w|th G|onn or 0avo |o||and, or somoono
to do w|th mo. Wo novor d|d t|nd out.
3omo t|mo at tho bog|nn|ng ot 2004 my gu|tar toch, V|ko C|omont, was at my stud|o at homo
transtorr|ng boxos ot cassottos ot r|tts on to C0s. |o camo across a coup|o ot tho tracks trom
tho 0El soss|ons and sa|d: 'Why don't you put thom out, thoy'ro roa||y good!'
1hoso tracks com|ng out on boot|ogs was a roa| pa|n anyway, so l sa|d to la|ph 3akor:
'Wo'vo got to do somoth|ng about th|s. Vaybo wo shou|d m|x th|s a|bum and t|n|sh |t and put |t
out ourso|vos. 1ust to k||| tho boot|og stutt, roa||y.'
Wo rom|xod tho tracks, l addod a coup|o ot gu|tar b|ts and changod a coup|o ot th|ngs. And l
had to put a now drummor on bocauso, |n tho moant|mo, 0avo |o||and had boon dono tor
mo|ost|ng young k|ds. l was torr|b|y shockod whon l hoard about that. l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t. l was
watch|ng tho nows ono morn|ng, and thoy wont: '0avo |o||and, 1udas lr|ost . . .'
You cou|d havo knockod mo ovor w|th a toathor, l had no |doa ho was ||ko that at a||. l
romombor 0avo p|ay|ng on ono ot tho 0El soss|ons ono day and ho brought th|s young |ad. l
novor thought anyth|ng ot |t. |o sa|d: '1h|s |s so-and-so, l'm toach|ng h|m to p|ay drums, ho's a
studont ot m|no.'
'l|ght, ho||o.'
|o was probab|y about o|ovon or two|vo yoars o|d or so, maybo a b|t o|dor. 3ut whon l tound
out about a|| that, b||moy. |o was sontoncod to sovon or o|ght yoars |n pr|son. Wo thought, wo
can't ro|oaso thoso w|th 0avo on thom! 3o l took h|s drum parts ott. Wo brought |n 1|mmy
Cop|oy, a roa||y good p|ayor who l know trom lau| lodgors's so|o stutt, and ho d|d a|| tho drums
at my houso. 3ocauso thoro woro no c||ck tracks on tho tapos, ho bas|ca||y had to p|ay to 0avo
|o||and's tracks. lt was a b|t awkward, but 1|mmy d|d a roa| good job.
1hoy woro just domos, wo d|dn't go |nto tho sounds and stutt, thoy woron't |ntondod tor
ro|oaso. 3ut whon tho a|bum, 7bo 1000 LEP 5ossloos, was ro|oasod |n 3optombor 2004 |t
was roco|vod vory wo||. And attor a|| thoso yoars, |t t|na||y k|||od tho boot|ogs.
74
Living aart togothor
l mot my th|rd w|to, va|ory, whon l was |n london rocord|ng 7bo Etotoo| loo|. l wont out to a c|ub
ca||od 1ramp ono n|ght and l mot va| down thoro. 3ho was a modo| and a dancor. 3ho dancod
|n ono ot thoso var|oty-typo shows, whoro thoy wou|d havo a danc|ng toam w|th ton womon and a
b|oko, ||ko a mus|ca|. And as a modo| sho d|d advort|somonts tor taco croam and hand croam.
Wo swappod numbors. 3ho ca||od mo up and wo startod soo|ng oach othor. l d|dn't roa||y
want to got |nvo|vod, bocauso at tho t|mo l was too |ntorostod |n do|ng moro drugs, but ovontua||y
wo d|d got a ro|at|onsh|p go|ng. Wo woro togothor tor s|x yoars and thon wo got marr|od.
Our wodd|ng was an oxtromo|y qu|ck atta|r. l tr|od to do |t a|| qu|ot|y, but lh|| 3ant|o|d know
about |t and ho wantod to bo bost man. Wo just got marr|od at th|s rog|stor ott|co w|th lh|| as my
w|tnoss. Wo wont back homo and a|| my tr|onds woro thoro.
3||moy, what happonod horo? lt's supposod to bo a socrot!
lh|| had organ|sod |t and, b|oody ho||, that surpr|so party, |t was roa||y good!
Wo woro togothor tor about two|vo yoars. va| ho|pod mo out a |ot w|th gott|ng ott tho drugs,
bocauso sho hatod a|| that. l roa||y owo a |ot to hor tor do|ng that. A|coho| was novor a major
prob|om, but l was do|ng a |ot ot coko and spood. l was go|ng through a part ot my ||to that l
d|dn't ovon roa||so l was |n, |t was gott|ng worso and worso and l d|dn't soo |t. l got moro
aggravatod and |nto moro argumonts and l bocamo somobody o|so, l supposo.
Whon wo woro marr|od va|ory wasn't go|ng to put up w|th |t any moro. Wo'd havo a bust-up
ovory t|mo l d|d a ||no. 3ho cou|d to|| stra|ght away |t l'd dono somoth|ng. l usod to snoak |nto my
stud|o and do a ||no and thon |t was: 'You'vo boon do|ng coko!'
3o ovontua||y l thought, |t's not worth |t, argu|ng ovory t|mo l do somo drugs. lt was o|thor stop,
or that's |t. And that's what l d|d. Wo||, l stoppod do|ng |t rogu|ar|y, |ot's put |t that way. l stoppod
do|ng |t ovory day.
va| had a s|x-bodroom houso |n north london and l had my houso up |n tho V|d|ands. 3ho
||kod to stay |n london whoro hor tr|onds woro, and l novor wantod to movo to london, so wo'd
bo |n hor houso tor a wh||o and thon como back to m|no. Or sho'd bo |n london and l'd bo homo.
Whon l was on tour sho wou|dn't stay |n tho V|d|ands at a||, so that moant l had to havo
somobody to |ook attor tho houso thoro. lt was a b|t ot a tunny ro|at|onsh|p roa||y.
va|ory had a son, 1ay, a roa||y n|co k|d. lt was a b|t strango tor mo, mov|ng trom not hav|ng my
own daughtor thoro and gott|ng marr|od and hav|ng somobody o|so's k|d |nstoad. l cou|dn't br|ng
my daughtor at t|rst, so |t was a|| vory comp||catod.
l dosporato|y wantod to br|ng 1on| homo. Vo||nda marr|od aga|n and had two k|ds w|th hor
now husband. Apparont|y th|s guy ownod somo n|ghtc|ubs |n los Ango|os and was doop |n tho
Vat|a, but ho got caught tor somoth|ng and ho was ja||od tor sovon yoars. Vo||nda spont a |ot ot
h|s monoy wh||o ho was |n ja|| and thon dumpod h|m. 1h|s b|oko got out ot pr|son oar|y, at wh|ch
t|mo tho courts a||owod h|m and h|s s|stor to havo tho k|ds, a|| throo ot thom. 3o l wont ovor to
Vodosto whoro thoy ||vod, to soo 1on| at tho|r houso, bocauso thoy wou|d havo to bo thoro whon
l v|s|tod. lt was an awkward s|tuat|on bocauso ho had tho othor two k|ds and 1on| was |ook|ng
attor thom. 3ho was about two|vo or th|rtoon by that t|mo.
Attor a wh||o, v|s|t|ng r|ghts woro ro|axod. 1on| was a||owod to stay w|th mo |n lA and l took
hor w|th mo tor a wook on tour. ln tho hoto|s wo'd havo adjo|n|ng rooms, but sho'd havo to havo
tho door opon and tho ||ght on, as sho was torr|t|od bocauso ot a|| tho th|ngs that woro go|ng on
|n hor ||to.
Attor go|ng through th|s who|o procoduro |n tho courts, l ovontua||y got hor out. Vy b|g prob|om
was that thoy thought, oh, ho's |n a band. Ah, 3|ack 3abbath! l d|dn't havo a |og to stand on.
1hoy'd ask: 'Whon you'ro on tour, who |s go|ng to |ook attor hor?'
'Wo||, l'|| havo a nanny.'
lt camo down to a cho|co botwoon an ox-con who wasn't tho roa| tathor and mo. 1ho |awyor l
h|rod |n los Ango|os sa|d: 'look, you aro tho tathor and wo aro go|ng to got hor back tor you.'
Evontua||y wo d|d got hor back and |n 1000 l cou|d tako hor homo to Eng|and. ||na||y!
1on| was a norvous wrock whon sho got horo. 3ho was th|rtoon, sho'd boon thrown around
trom p|||ar to post and sho d|dn't know what tho ho|| was go|ng on. lt took hor a |ong t|mo to sott|o
down and bocomo norma| aga|n. |or a |ong t|mo sho had bad droams. 3ho had hor own ||tt|o
room w|th tho door opon and tho ||ght on, and thon sho'd start scroam|ng |n tho n|ght and l'd rush
|n. At t|rst l wondorod, how can l ho|p, what am l supposod to do? You g|vo hor |ovo, but |t was
a|so a mattor ot mo bo|ng accoptod, bocauso sho had m|ssod a groat part ot hor ||to w|th mo.
3ho d|dn't got on w|th hor stoptathor, so |t was vory d|tt|cu|t.
ln tho moant|mo my marr|ago w|th va|ory was |n troub|o. 3ho wantod th|s london ||to and sho
wantod to travo| tho wor|d, whoroas l d|dn't. l'd boon a|| ovor tho wor|d umptoon t|mos on tour
a|roady. Wo both wantod d|ttoront th|ngs, so woro at |oggorhoads a |ot. 3ut tho crunch camo
whon 1on| camo to Eng|and. va| d|dn't part|cu|ar|y want anothor ch||d. 3ho a|roady had a son
whom wo both |ookod attor, so sho sa|d: '3ho shou|d go to co||ogo. lut hor |n schoo| and |ot hor
stay at schoo|.'
l sa|d: 'You can't do that. 3ho's boon thrown around ovorywhoro, sho's got to ||vo w|th us.'
va|ory thon wantod us to ||vo |n london and wo wont to soo a h|gh schoo| down thoro, but 1on|
wasn't happy. 3ho was too young. lt was d| tt|cu|t tor hor to como ovor trom Ca||torn|a and
suddon|y ||vo |n london. 3ho d|dn't roa||y know va| and thon to go to th|s schoo| whoro sho know
nobody was vory hard. 3o 1on| d|dn't want to ||vo thoro and va| sa|d: 'lt sho doosn't want to,
that's |t, l'vo dono my b|t.'
l got roa||y p|ssod ott about hor say|ng that, bocauso 1on| dosorvod a good ||to. ln tho ond l
had to h|ro a nanny to |ook attor hor. l thought, Chr|st, l'm marr|od, sho's ||v|ng |n london and l'm
h|r|ng somobody to |ook attor 1on| |n tho V|d|ands. l had no othor opt|on, bocauso l was on tour.
3omobody had to do what l was do|ng and oarn tho monoy. lt was a roa| shamb|os. Ono ot tho
roasons why mo and va| broko up was that sho just wou|dn't accopt 1on| and l cou|dn't doa| w|th
a|| that. Wo gradua||y pu||od away trom oach othor and thon tho marr|ago camo to an ond. Wo
just d|dn't commun|cato wo||. lnstoad ot ta|k|ng th|ngs ovor wo woro a|ways argu|ng, and l hatod
that. l sa|d to hor: 'lt wo ovor got |nto an argumont, |ot's just say stop'. And thon wo'|| stop.'
Wo startod argu|ng ono day and l sa|d: '3top!'
3ho wont: 'What do you moan, tuck|ng stop'!'
And sho carr|od on aga|n. 3o 'stop' novor workod.
l just mado my m|nd up: l'm not go|ng to go any turthor w|th |t. 3o l sa|d: '1hat's |t, va|.'
And sho wont: 'You can't d|vorco mo!'
l sa|d: 'lt's not work|ng. l don't want th|s ||to any moro. 0o your own th|ng.'
l wantod to broak away tor hor sako as wo||, so sho cou|d do tho th|ngs sho wantod to do and
|oad tho ||to sho wantod to ||vo. 3ho doosn't soo |t that way. 3ho th|nks l |ott hor tor Var|a, but
that wasn't tho caso. va| and mo t|n|shod |ong botoro l mot hor, but sho th|nks l had boon go|ng
w|th Var|a tor a wh||o botoro wo broko up.
3ho's dono a|| r|ght out ot tho d|vorco. va|ory saw th|s houso |n 3pa|n and l bought hor that,
and l bought hor anothor houso |n london as wo||. 3ho was happy onough, l th|nk. Wo||, as tar as
|t goos. 3roak|ng up |s a|ways hard. 3ut tor mo, tho pa|n wou|dn't |ast |ong.
3oon l'd got togothor w|th o|d tr|onds and moot tho |ovo ot my ||to.
75
1ho Iovo ot my Iito
Ear|y |n 1007 3haron Osbourno ca||od and sa|d: 'Wou|d you bo |ntorostod |n do|ng a tow shows
w|th Ozzy, or maybo a tour? l'm ask|ng you t|rst and |t you say yos, thon l'|| ask Goozor.'
lt was supposod to bo a casua| th|ng as opposod to |nvo|v|ng |ots ot |awyors, so l sa|d yos.
1hon sho askod Goozor and ho sa|d yos. l th|nk sho was undor tho |mpross|on that 3||| wou|d
want to go through |awyors and thorotoro |t wou|d bo hard work |nvo|v|ng h|m as wo||, so sho
d|dn't ask h|m. l askod hor about 3|||, but sho sa|d: 'lo, wo aro go|ng to uso V|ko 3ord|n, Ozzy's
drummor.'
Goozor and mo woro on|y go|ng to do a tow songs and |t d|dn't soom ||ko |t was a b|g th|ng,
so wo agrood on do|ng |t w|th V|ko. 1ho p|an was tor Ozzy to do h|s own sot t|rst, and thon wo'd
wa|k on and c|oso tho show, not un||ko wo'd dono |n Costa Vosa back |n 1002. lt was just a 'jo|n
you on stago' sort ot th|ng. Wo agrood on a too and d|d |t. ln Vay 1007 wo startod a t|vo-wook
tour ot Amor|ca, tor about twonty-t|vo Ozztost shows.
l ||kod |t. lt was good and th|ngs woro go|ng wo|| botwoon mo, Ozzy and Goozor. l th|nk |t was
a b|t ot a tr|a| th|ng anyway, to soo how wo a|| got on aga|n. ln|t|a||y wo d|dn't soo a |ot ot oach
othor. Ozzy wou|d t|y |n |ator and arr|vo at tho g|gs soparato trom us and Goozor and mo oach
travo||od |n a bus ot our own. Wo a|so stayod at tho bost hoto|s, a|ways tho |our 3oasons or tho
l|tz-Car|tons. lt was okay, |t was organ|sod wo||.
On 17 1uno, Ozzy's vo|co gavo out and ho canco||od tho show. Goozor and l hoard Ozzy was
not go|ng to t|y |n, but wo woro |n tho dross|ng room a|roady and tho bands woro p|ay|ng. Wo
had Var||yn Vanson on w|th us, lantora, 1ypo O logat|vo, |oar |actory and a coup|o ot othors.
3omobody sa|d: 'Wou|d you bo ab|o to p|ay w|th somo ot tho othor guys, w|th Var||yn Vanson
s|ng|ng?'
l sa|d: 'lo, wo don't want to do that.'
'Wo||, wo'vo got to do somoth|ng.'
'lot w|th us. lt you want to do that, |ot thom do |t and jam or whatovor.'
lt wasn't that wo had anyth|ng aga|nst tho othor bands, but wo woro thoro to do |t w|th Ozzy
and that was that. Wo corta|n|y wou|dn't go up and jam, bocauso that was tho k|ss ot doath: you
cou|d soo botoro |t happonod what was go|ng to happon. And, suro onough, |t d|d: botoro thoy
a|| wont on to jam somobody announcod that Ozzy had |ost h|s vo|co, and thoro was uproar. 1hoy
just wont crazy. As thoy do.
1hoso othor guys wont on anyway and p|ayod, wh|ch was good ot thom. 1hoy provontod |t
trom gott|ng comp|oto|y out ot hand. 3t|||, tho crowd turnod po||co cars ovor, r|ot|ng, |t got protty
bad. Wo |ott ta|r|y sharp|sh attorwards and got out a|| r|ght. Wo wont back thoro two wooks |ator
to do tho roschodu|od g|g and that wont t|no.
Ono day l bumpod |nto th|s g|r|, Vart|na Axon, who was tho drummor |n tho 3wod|sh band
0ra|n 31|, who woro on tho tour as wo||. 3ho sa|d: 'You'vo got to como and soo tho band.'
l wont to watch thom a coup|o ot t|mos. 1hoy woro roa||y good, so whon Vart|na askod |t l
cou|d ho|p thom w|th a song, l sa|d: 'Yoah, como ovor to tho houso attor wo'ro dono.'
1ho|r s|ngor, Var|a 3jho|m, a|ways kopt to horso|t, so l novor mot hor. Attor tho tour sho and
Vart|na t|ow ovor trom 3wodon, just tor a day. 1hoy camo ovor to tho houso, whoro |t was just
mo and my daughtor, 1on|. va|ory wasn't thoro, bocauso at that po|nt wo woron't an |tom any
moro, so thoy sa|d: 'Can wo cook tor you?'
'Yoah!'
Attor gott|ng grocor|os at tho |oca| markot, wo wont |nto tho stud|o and l p|ayod thom somo
th|ngs. l askod thom what thoy wantod and camo up w|th an |doa tor thom. 1hat took a|| ot twonty
m|nutos and thon thoy wont |nto tho houso to start cook|ng. 1hoy had brought a|| th|s rod w|no
ovor and two hugo bars ot 3wod|sh choco|ato. l a|roady had th|s b| g bar ot Cadbury's choco|ato.
1hoy startod oat| ng that, and wo had a tow dr|nks. lt was ott to d|nnor and wo had somo moro
dr|nks and thoy a|so ato a|| tho choco|ato thoy'd brought tor mo as wo||. 1ho pa|r ot thom just
po||shod ott thoso two b|g bars! l'|| novor torgot that about thom - |t was roa||y tunny.
l had to t|y ott somowhoro tho noxt day to start anothor tour, so thoy drovo up to london w|th
mo. l p|ckod Ozzy up on tho way and thon tho tour ot us wont to tho a|rport whoro thoy took a
t||ght back to 3tockho|m.
1hroughout tho yoar l ta|kod to Var|a on tho phono about how tho song was go|ng. lt bocamo
a rogu|ar th|ng. l'd ca|| hor and wo'd just bo chatt|ng away, somot|mos tor hours and hours. Wo
got moro and moro tr|ond|y and, r|ght botoro tho 1000 3|ack 3abbath loun|on tour startod, l just
sa|d: 'Why don't you como ovor tor a tow days? l'|| sond you a t|ckot. Como to tho show |n
lhoon|x.'
3ho thought about |t and sa|d: 'Okay.'
3ho t|ow |n and sho was roa||y norvous. l d|dn't qu|to know what to do o|thor.
Oh doar, sho's turnod up!
Wo p|ayod lhoon|x on low Yoar's Evo and thon sho camo w|th us to las vogas. Wo roa||y
onjoyod oach othor's company. And that was |t: wo startod soo|ng oach othor a |ot and
ovontua||y sho movod to Eng|and. 1hat was |n 1000.
1ho track wo wroto tor 0ra|n 31| was ca||od '3|ack' and |t appoarod on tho|r a|bum ltooks o
Nototo. lt was ro|oasod |n 1000, but tho band broko up not |ong attor that. As an a||-g|r| band, |t
was tough tor thom out thoro. 1hoy had tourod tor yoars and Var|a had had onough ot tho
travo|||ng. 3ho to|d tho othor g|r|s and gavo thom a tour's not|co to t|nd somobody o|so. 1hoy
d|dn't, so thoy partod company. l probab|y got tho b|amo tor that.
Wo d|dn't got marr|od unt|| 2002. l'd boon marr|od botoro on 2, 8 and 0 lovombor, so that
wasn't an ausp|c|ous month tor mo. l sa|d to Var|a: 'lo way wo'ro gott|ng marr|od |n lovombor.
0on't ovon mont|on lovombor!'
Wo woro on tour |n August, a sato d|stanco trom lovombor, and whon wo had a broak |n los
Ango|os my ott|co organ|sod th|s woman to como ovor to tho hoto| and marry us r|ght thoro. Wo
got marr|od on 10 August at tho 3unsot Varqu|s. l d|dn't to|| anybody, not ovon tho band. lobody
was thoro, so l got Edd|o, who workod tor mo, to como up to bo tho w|tnoss. Wo wantod to do |t
w|thout a|| tho tuss, so wo d|d |t a|| qu|ot|y.
3ost th|ng l ovor d|d!
70
Rounion
Wo d|dn't want to p|ay w|th V|ko 3ord|n. Wo a|| wantod to havo 3||| back tor tho noxt tour. Ozzy,
Goozor and mo had dono tho |n|t|a| tost ot how wo woro gott|ng on. Wo woro ask|ng ourso|vos:
|s |t go|ng to work? What |s tho |ntorost ||ko? Wo||, wo d|d got a|ong and tho shows wont groat
and ovorybody |ovod |t. 3o |t soomod obv|ous that wo shou|d got tho o|d, tu|| ||no-up back tor a
noxt tour.
Wo had to mako tho torms so that wo d|dn't got |nto b|g argumonts, not trom our s|do but
managomont-w|so. Wo oach had our own managomont and that cou|d bo hard work, so wo
doc|dod that |t shou|d bo |ott to ono porson w|thout ovorybody o|so ch| pp|ng |n as wo||, othorw|so
|t wou|d bo chaos. And that's what happonod. 3ocauso 3haron had organ|sod tho Ozztost, sho
was a|so go|ng to manago tho roun|on.
Wo rohoarsod w|th 3||| and workod out tho show, and thon wo d|d a tow g|gs botoro go|ng to
tho lEC to rocord tho Roooloo ||vo a|bum on b 0ocombor 1007. Wo d|d tho lEC too oar|y |n
tho tour, roa||y. l thought wo noodod to p|ay a |ot moro t|rst. Wo had rohoarsod, but wo had on|y
dono two g|gs and thon suddon|y thoro wo woro, do|ng two days at tho lEC and rocord|ng |t.
Wo hadn't got |nto rout|nos and whothor to do a ||tt|o so|o horo or bu||d a b|g c||max thoro, wo
woro just p|ay|ng tho songs. lt wou|d'vo boon n|co to havo |oosonod up moro.
lt was norvo-wrack|ng, bocauso wo know wo woro rocord|ng |t. Whon you do a rogu|ar show,
attor tho |ast song |t's ovor and dono w|th, but whon |t's rocordod ovorybody can soo and hoar |t
attorwards torovor and ovor. A|so |t was a homotown g|g, wh|ch mado us ovon moro norvous.
|r|onds woro com|ng. 3r|an Vay was thoro and Cozy and lo|| as wo||. As a mattor ot tact, tho
tour ot us wont out tor d|nnor to a Ch|noso rostaurant attorwards.
Evon so, wo woro a|| happy to bo ab|o to p|ay togothor aga|n. l th|nk |t wont bottor than wo
oxpoctod. As a mattor ot tact, |t wont groat!
l wont ovor to tho A8V 3tud|os |n |o||ywood to m|x tho ||vo a|bum w|th 3ob Var|otto. 1hon
thoso guys trom tho rocord company camo down and sa|d: 'Why don't you wr|to two now songs
tor tho a|bum?'
'Eh . . . r|ght. low?'
'low!'
'Oh. What, mo and 3ob?'
3ocauso wo woro tho on|y onos thoro.
'lo, wo'|| got Ozzy down as wo||.'
1o wr|to a song |n tho m|dd|o ot a m|x |s not a part|cu|ar|y good |doa. You'vo got your hoad
around how ovoryth|ng shou|d sound, and thon you don't want to bo th|nk|ng, what aro wo go|ng
to wr|to, how do wo start? And |t you don't havo tho band to start jamm|ng, and you don't ovon
havo Ozzy ha|t tho t|mo, |t's b|oody d|tt|cu|t. Wo just droppod tho m|x and startod work|ng on tho
now songs. l had no |doas |y|ng around, so l had to como up w|th somoth| ng thoro and thon. lt
was a good th|ng l had a gu|tar thoro! And ott wo wont.
3||moy.
3ob Var|otto usod programmod drums, just so that l cou|d put tho r|tt |doas down. 1hat's how
wo d|d |t w|th 'lsycho Van': l p|ayod a r|tt and ho put a drum to tho r|tt, and thon wo'd bu||d |t up
||ko that. Ozzy camo down and d|sappoarod and camo down aga|n and wont and sat |n tho othor
room and got a sandw|ch and to|| as|oop and whatovor o|so ho d|d. Ou|to otton ho dozod ott on
tho couch |n tho contro| room wh||o wo woro putt|ng tho song togothor. Ono t|mo ho was spark
out and thon woko up to go to tho to||ot. |o was gono tor about twonty-t|vo, th|rty m|nutos. Wo
thought, whoro tho b|oody ho|| |s ho? Wo nood h|m now!
Wo sont somobody out to |ook tor h|m, but tho guy camo back and sa|d: 'l can't t|nd h|m. |o
m|ght havo gono homo.'
Wo phonod h|s homo, but ho wasn't thoro.
'Whoro tho tuck |s ho?'
Evon 1ony, tho guy who works tor h|m and novor |oavos h|s s|do, d|dn't havo a c|uo. 1hon wo
hoard a|| th|s commot|on |n tho ha||way. lt was anothor band, and thoy woro go|ng: 'Oh man, Ozzy
Osbourno |s |n our stud|o. |o's as|oop on tho couch!'
Wo thought, oh, no!
Ozzy had como out ot tho to||ot, ha|t as|oop, and ho d|dn't romombor what stud|o wo woro |n.
|o'd gono |nto tho|r stud|o, r|ght |n tho m|dd|o ot tho|r rocord|ng soss|on, and ho'd ta||on as|oop
on tho|r couch. 1hoy woro out |n tho stud|o, p|ay|ng away, and thoy camo back |nto tho contro|
room and tound h|m snor|ng away. 1hoy woro |n awo ot h|m, so thoy woron't about to to|| h|m to
|oavo. Wo sont somobody |n to got h|m, but |n tho moant|mo Ozzy had wokon up, como back
|nto our stud|o, and, hovor|ng about, ho'd knockod a tu|| p|nt ot wator |nto tho rocord|ng dosk and
tho b|oody th|ng b|ow up!
3ut whon Ozzy was awako at our own soss|on ho'd bo a|| onthus|ast|c: 'Oh yoah, l ||ko th|s!'
lt was tho t|rst t|mo l actua||y saw h|m wr|to |yr|cs down and roa||y got |nvo|vod |n |t. Wo wroto
tho songs and rocordod Ozzy's and my b|ts |n ono day. lt was too tast, wo novor had t|mo to ||vo
w|th thom, but tho guy trom 3ony locords was stand|ng outs| do, wa|t|ng to hoar thom. Wo got
Goozor and 3||| to como |n |ator to put tho|r parts down. And that was |t. Wo had tho two tracks,
'lsycho Van' and '3o|||ng Vy 3ou|', but l wasn't p|oasod w|th thom. lt cou|d'vo boon so much
bottor |t wo'd had moro t|mo to work on thom.
At tho t|mo |t d|dn't |oad to p|ans tor a now stud|o a|bum. lt was on|y |ator, r|ght botoro Ozzy
startod 7bo Osbootoos, that wo actua||y wont |nto tho stud|o to wr|to a now a|bum. Wo woro
thoro tor throo or tour wooks and managod to put about s|x |doas down. lt wasn't a vory tu|| band
ottort. Wo had a go but |t was a b|t ||ko pu|||ng tooth. Wo'd jam tor a b|t and put stutt down, but
thon Ozzy wou|d d|sappoar or ta|| as|oop on tho couch aga|n, or ho'd go to mako tho t|ro and
ho'd como |n and say: 'Wou|d you ||ko a cup ot toa?'
'Okay.'
And thon ho'd d|sappoar aga|n tor two hours.
'What happonod to tho toa?'
lt was ||ko |t usod to bo |n tho o|d days. |o just d|dn't havo onough ot an attont|on span to
stand thoro and work a song ovor. 3ut that's Ozzy, that's just how ho |s.
3t|||, wo cou|d havo dono an a|bum. Wo got tho s|x songs and tho |doa ot l|ck lub|n
produc|ng tho a|bum was brought up. Goozor, Ozzy and myso|t wont to soo h|m at h|s houso |n
lA. 1horo was a b|oko who camo |n to groot us, ho sat us down and wo wa|tod. Attor about ton
m|nutos l|ck lub|n camo |n. l'd novor mot h|m and d|dn't know what to oxpoct, but ho was
dot|n|to|y a charactor. |o was woar|ng a kattan and ho was ||ko an o|d h|pp|o |n somo ways, ||ko
a 3uddha. vory ca|m.
Wo p|ayod h|m tho stutt and ho ||kod about throo ot tho tracks. And that was |t: wo novor saw
h|m aga|n and wo novor to||owod |t up. lt t|zz|od out bocauso Ozzy startod w|th h|s to|ov|s|on
show 7bo Osbootoos. lt's a shamo, bocauso |t ovorybody had boon |nvo|vod and roa||y got ott
tho|r arsos, wo cou|d'vo como up w|th somoth|ng good.
l st||| havo thoso s|x songs somowhoro. Wo d|dn't do anyth|ng w|th thom, but that was as c|oso
as wo ovor got to rocord|ng a now a|bum.
77
Cozy'a craah
ln Apr|| 1008 l was |n lA at tho 3unsot Varqu|s hoto| whon l got a ca|| trom la|ph. |o sa|d: 'l'm
roa||y sorry to to|| you that Cozy has boon k|||od |n a car crash.'
lt was a roa| shock. l was just stunnod.
A|| tho yoars l know Cozy, ho was a b|t ot a w||d charactor. l'vo boon w|th h|m |n tho car a tow
t|mos and ho was a vory good dr|vor, but ho wont so tast l was torr|t|od. |o usod to dr|vo around
tho track |n h|s o|d |orrar|, bocauso ho ||kod spood. |o a|so had a coup|o ot b|g motorb|kos and
ho roa||y toro ass on thoso th|ngs. Whon wo rocordod looo|oss Ctoss w|th Cozy at Woodcray
back |n 1088, ho'd como down on h|s b|ko and somot|mos, whon ho'd had a r|ght tow dr|nks, l'd
tako h|s koys ott h|m and h|do thom so that ho cou|dn't r|do homo. |o'd go: 'Whoro's my koys?'
'You'ro not go|ng to dr|vo homo ||ko that!'
'l'm a|| r|ght, l'm a|| r|ght.'
1ho o|d 'l'm a|| r|ght' th|ng. 3ut ho'd havo to stay.
1hoy woro tast Yamaha b|kos and l thought, ono ot thoso days ho's go|ng to como ott ono ot
thom. l d|dn't oxpoct |t |n a car. And whon l hoard what happonod, |t was b|oody awtu|.
Cozy was soo|ng th|s g|r|. 3ho was marr|od but soparatod, or soparat|ng, and sho had
prob|oms w|th hor husband. Cozy was at homo and ho'd had a tow dr|nks, as ho tondod to, and
sho ca||od h|m a|| upsot and sa|d: 'Can you como ovor qu|ck?'
Cozy ||vod about th|rty or torty m||os away trom hor. |o t|ow down tho motorway |n h|s 3aab,
qu|to a qu|ck car. Wh||o ho was dr|v|ng towards hor sho phonod h|m up. 'Whoro aro you?'
'l'm on my way.'
Wh||o thoy woro on tho phono, sho hoard h|m go: 'Oh, sh|t!'
And tho noxt th|ng: bang!
l th|nk |t was ra|n|ng at tho t|mo. Cozy wasn't woar|ng a soatbo|t. |o h|t somoth|ng and wont
stra|ght through tho w|ndscroon. What a comp|oto and uttor wasto ot such a ta|ontod mus|c|an
and good mato.
78
BiII, Vinny, and BiII and Vinny
W|th tho Roooloo a|bum |n tho can, wo p|annod a tu||y t|odgod tour w|th tho or|g|na| ||no-up and |n
Vay 1008 wo wont |nto rohoarsa|s tor |t. lt had boon twonty yoars s|nco tho tour ot us had
workod ||ko that. 1h|s t|mo wo tr|od to commun|cato propor|y by ta|k|ng th|ngs through, |nstoad ot
go|ng |n ||ko bu||s | n a ch|na shop. lnstoad ot: 'Wo'ro do|ng th|s', or ovon: 'lot's do th|s and |ot's
do that', ovorybody was go|ng: 'What do you th|nk, sha|| wo do th|s?'
Wo had a |augh and workod wo|| togothor aga|n. lt was good bocauso wo woro propp|ng to
do somoth|ng wo know. Wo just rohoarsod through tho songs. Ozzy wou|d s|ng thom and |oavo,
and thon wo usua||y ran through thom aga|n on our own. On 10 Vay wo woro runn|ng through tho
show and, whon wo got to 'larano|d', tho t|na| song, 3||| sa|d: 'Cor, l too| roa||y strango. ls |t a||
r|ght |t l havo a ||o-down?'
'Yoah, go and havo a ||o-down.'
l took h|m upsta|rs and ho got |nto bod and sa|d: 'Cou|d you ask my ass|stant to como up?'
'3uro.'
'1ust to g|vo mo a massago tor a b|t, bocauso my arm's gono a b|t numb.'
l novor thought anyth|ng ot |t. Vo and Goozor wont out tor a b|t ot trosh a|r and wa|kod up tho
dr|vo and thon down tho road. Wo saw th| s ambu|anco como t|y|ng past and wo jok|ng|y sa|d:
'3|||!'
Wo a|ways d|d, any t|mo wo saw somoth|ng ||ko that |t was a|ways: 'Ah, 3|||.'
And, b|oody ho||, th|s t|mo, suro onough, |t was. V|nutos |ator wo saw tho ambu|anco t|y|ng
past aga|n |n tho oppos|to d|roct|on, tak|ng h|m to tho hosp|ta|. Wo got back and Ozzy was
go|ng: '3||| has had a hoart attack! 3||| has had a hoart attack!'
'Chr|st, that was tho ambu|anco thon?'
'Yoah, that was 3|||!'
1hoy took h|m to tho c|osost hosp|ta| about twonty m||os away. |o had to stay thoro tor a wh||o
and obv|ous|y cou|dn't p|ay.
Wo d|dn't canco| tho tour. Wo askod v|nny App|co to stand |n tor 3||| wh||o ho was
conva|osc|ng. Wo'd boon work|ng w|th v|nny on and ott w|th lonn|o and 3||| a|ways ||kod h|m, so
|t just soomod tho way to go. v|nny was t|no w|th |t, ho camo |n and rohoarsod w|th us, and thon
wo d|d tho tour ot Europo w|th h|m.
Wo had rohoarsod songs wo hadn't p|ayod tor yoars. Whon wo startod ott, wo had a two and
a ha|t hour show. lt k|||od mo bocauso |t was a |ong sot, but |t was groat. Wo woro p|ay|ng a |ot ot
othor songs bos|dos tho rogu|ar, rout|no onos.
1ho tour startod ott |n 1uno |n |ungary. Corta|n|y |n tho bog|nn|ng |t wont roa||y wo||. 1ho V||ton
Koynos 3ow|, w|th bands ||ko |oo ||ghtors, lantora, 3|ayor and 3ou|t|y, was ono ot tho
h|gh||ghts. 3||| camo to that g|g, |t was n|co ot h|m to turn up. Wo got h|m on stago and tho
aud|onco |ovod soo|ng h|m. |o was stand|ng thoro |n h|s tracky pants and l cou|dn't ho|p |t
bocauso thoy woro a|| |ooso and, whoosh!, l pu||od thom down |n tront ot a|| thoso poop|o. 1yp|ca|
mo and 3|||. l usod to do that a|| tho t|mo to h| m and, ot courso, th|s was an |doa| opportun|ty. |o
just stood thoro, pu||od thom up and took no not|co. |o's a roa| charactor ||ko that.
ln Octobor 1008 tho Roooloo a|bum was t|na||y ro|oasod. Our |abo|, Ep|c, organ|sod a rocord-
s|gn|ng tour ot o|ght c|t|os |n Amor|ca tor tho tour ot us, |nc|ud|ng 3||| Ward. 1hoy put us |n tho 3t
log|s |oto| |n low York. lt was |ncrod|b|y oxpons|vo: ovory room camo w|th |ts own but|or. Wo
usod that hoto| as our baso and wo had a pr|vato jot to t|y us out to 0a||as or whorovor |t was wo
had to do tho s|gn|ngs and rad|o |ntorv|ows and anyth|ng o|so. Wo'd do tho bus|noss and t|y
back to low York aga|n.
Voanwh||o, wo had so many poop|o com|ng to tho storos whoro wo d|d our a|bum s|gn|ngs
that |t got out ot hand. 3omot|mos socur|ty was rough on tho crowds. Wo ondod up say|ng to our
tour managor: '1hoy can't do th|s to tho k|ds, push|ng thom around and bo|ng aggross|vo w|th
thom ||ko that. 1hoy aro tans, thoy shou|d tako |t oasy on thom!'
Wo d|d ono |n a ma|| and tho who|o p|aco was packod. l'd novor soon that, s|gn|ngs |n tho
m|dd|o ot a shopp|ng ma||. 1hoso appoarancos at rocord shops woro roa||y good, |t not a ||tt|o
too succosstu|.
Wo a|so d|d tho Loto 5bow wltb Lovlo Lottotmoo, our t|rst 1v appoaranco togothor |n twonty-
throo yoars. l was b|t worr|od, bocauso l wondorod what |t wou|d bo ||ko to do 'larano|d' w|th a
||vo aud|onco |n a ta|k show ||ko that. l thought lottorman and h|s poop|o wou|d bo a b|t snooty
about |t, but thoy woro roa||y n|co. 0av|d was |n and out, roa||y, wo saw h|m on tho n|ght whon ho
camo to say ho||o and shook our hands. Wo ta|kod to h|m but not a |ot. Wo saw lau| 3hattor
dur|ng tho sound chock and had a chat w|th h|m. |o m|ght havo askod |t ho cou|d p|ay, but wo
just d|d |t w|th tho tour ot us. And that was |t. Wo p|ayod, |t wont down groat, and good n|ght.
Wo startod ott our Amor|can tour on low Yoar's Evo |n lhoon|x, Ar|zona. 1hat was tho ono
Var|a camo ovor tor. lt was a b|g g|g.
Wo a|ways had a b|g t|roworks d|sp|ay attorwards, so wo cou|d |oavo w|thout gott|ng stuck |n
tho tratt|c ot poop|o try|ng to got out at tho samo t|mo. Wo a|ways got ott stago and thon |ott
|mmod|ato|y.
3||| was back w|th us tor th| s tour, but wo took v|nny a|ong as wo||. Wo d|dn't want 3||| to stra|n
h|mso|t. As much as ho sa|d: 'l'm a|| r|ght', wo woro concornod ho m|ght too| rough ono n|ght,
and go: 'l don't too| wo||, l can't p|ay.' A|so, w|th v|nny thoro, |t ho got ovor-oxhaustod ho cou|d
say: 'l can't p|ay thoso two songs, l nood a rost', and v|nny cou|d stop |n. l thought th|s wou|d bo
good tor 3|||'s poaco ot m|nd as wo||, but l hoard |ator that ho was actua||y ottondod by tho tact
that wo had v|nny up thoro. 3ut nono ot us moant |t |n a bad way, wo woro just concornod about
3|||. Wo novor usod v|nny anyway, bocauso 3||| p|ayod groat and stayod hoa|thy. As a mattor ot
tact, l got t|u and Ozzy caught a co|d, but 3||| was as t|t as a t|dd|o.
3||| cou|dn't dr|nk, Goozor wasn't dr|nk|ng and Ozzy wasn't supposod to bo dr|nk|ng, so tho
on|y ono dr|nk| ng was mo. Wo oach had our own bus and a tra||or as wo||, and thoro l had w|no
and champagno and whatovor o|so. l wou|dn't t|aunt |t |n tront ot ovorybody and |t was actua||y
awkward whon Ozzy camo |n. |o'd otton v|s|t mo |n my tra||or, and l novor wantod to dr|nk
around h|m, so tor mo |t a|so turnod out to bo a rathor dry tour.
Attor tho |ast g|g ot tho Amor|can tour wo to|t |t wou|d bo a shamo to stop, so two months |ator
|t was announcod that wo'd go on, th|s t|mo hoad||n|ng tho upcom|ng Ozztost tour. |rom tho ond
ot Vay 1000 unt|| tho ond ot August wo tourod throughout tho 3tatos w|th acts ||ko lob Zomb|o,
3|ayor and 3ystom Ot A 0own. On tho socond stago, among many othors, was Var|a's band
0ra|n 31|, so wo woro on tho road togothor.
On ono ot our days ott wo woro stay|ng at tho |our 3oasons |n la|m 3oach and lob Zomb|o
was thoro as wo||. Vo and Var|a woro |ook|ng out ot tho w|ndow and wo saw lob com|ng out
w|th h|s w|to. lt was roast|ng out thoro, but ||ko a|ways lob was |n a|| h|s |oathor goar. |o wa|kod
up, got on a sunbod and was |y|ng thoro, sunbath|ng tho Zomb|o way. Evorybody o|so was
woar|ng shorts and lob was drossod to tho max |n |oathor trousors, |oathor top, |oathor hat and
|oathor boots. Var|a and mo woro |n st|tchos. lob |s a |ovo|y guy, but ta|k about koop|ng up tho
|mago!
Wo ondod tho yoar w|th two shows at tho lEC |n 3|rm|ngham. l romombor th|nk|ng, th|s cou|d
wo|| bo our t|na| dato ovor. l to|t a b|t sad, not know|ng |t wo woro go|ng to do |t aga|n. Wo
rocordod a ||vo v|doo thoro, ca||od 7bo Lost 5oppot.
1hat soomod ||ko a portoct namo tor |t, but wo woron't dono qu|to yot.
70
BoIching attor a Woonio Roaat
ln |obruary 2000 wo got our t|rst Grammy, tor 3ost Vota| lortormanco tor 'lron Van' trom
1008' s Roooloo a|bum. l thought, b|oody ho||, a|| thoso yoars ot mak|ng mus|c and wo got
noth|ng, and whon wo t|na||y do got a Grammy |t's tor tho ||vo th|ng! A yoar or two |ator wo got a
nom|nat|on tor anothor ono, tor ' 1ho W|zard'. l don't roa||y romombor why that was nom|natod,
but, thon aga|n, l novor know why tho t|rst ono was o|thor.
Apart trom gott|ng a Grammy, 2000 was rathor unovonttu|. ln 1uno wo had a ono-ott show at
tho KlOO Woony loast |ost|va| at Ango| 3tad|um |n Anaho|m, Ca||torn|a. 3haron got |n touch
w|th us and sa|d |t wou|d bo a groat g|g to do. Wo wou|d bo surpr|so guosts, portorm|ng attor
Ozzy's show.
lt was dot|n|to|y a surpr|so. Ozzy had p|ayod h|s sot, and thon tho rovo|v|ng stago was
supposod to turn and wo'd bo thoro and wo'd start p|ay|ng. 1hroughout tho who|o day l thought,
th|s |s roa||y s|||y, |t's go|ng to bo such a qu|ck changoovor. |ow aro wo go|ng to pu|| that ott?
1ho stago turnod around and l startod tho r| tt tor 'War l|gs', tho b|g noto, but noth|ng
happonod. As tho stago turnod a|| my cab|os woro r|ppod out ot my amps and a|| tho powor
wont. Vy gu|tar toch noar|y had a hoart attack, go|ng: 'Ooh, what do wo do, what do wo do!'
lt was so ombarrass|ng stand|ng thoro ||ko a coup|o ot d|cks. 1ho aud|onco, who d|dn't oxpoct
us to bo p|ay|ng anyway, was probab|y th|nk|ng, who's that |ot thoro thon? Attor what soomod
||ko an otorn|ty, thoy whoo|od on thoso two spoakor cab|nots and Zakk Wy|do's Varsha|| amp,
just so wo cou|d p|ay. Wo woro on|y go|ng to do twonty m|nutos anyway and wo spont ha|t that
t|mo p|ss|ng around. Wo camo ott that show and wo had anothor ono ||ko that to do |n low York.
l sa|d to 3haron: '1horo's no way l'm go|ng to do that.'
3ho wont: 'Wo||, no, whatovor you want...'
l was so ombarrassod l cou|dn't ta|k to anybody tor days attor that. l just h|d at tho 3unsot
Varqu|s hoto| and kopt out ot tho way.
3ack homo |n Eng|and l tound somo com|c ro||ot w|th 3ov 3ovan and 1aspor Carrott. Wo'd
boon tr|onds tor yoars and wo ta|kod about do|ng th|s band th|ng as a b|t ot a |augh. 1hoy had
dono a coup|o ot th|ngs and thoy askod mo |t l'd jo|n. l sa|d: 'Yoah, that sounds ||ko a |ot ot tun.'
1aspor camo up w|th tho namo 3o|ch. lt's tho 3 trom 3|ack 3abbath, tho E and tho l trom
ElO and tho C trom Carrott. 1aspor |s a comod|an and |n 3o|ch ho was tho s|ngor.
lh|| 1roo was our bass p|ayor and lh|| Ackr||| p|ayod rhythm gu|tar. lh|| 1roo now p|ays w|th
3ov 3ovan |n 1ho Vovo. lt was groat tun, l roa||y onjoyod that. 3o|ch was a pop band: wo p|ayod
anyth|ng trom '3|uo 3uodo 3hoos' to 1|na 1urnor or 0|ro 3tra|ts to 'A|| l|ght low'. Wo
rohoarsod at 1aspor's houso. 1ho |doa was just to p|ay at ono ot our tr|ond's part|os, but what
was supposod to bo a |ark turnod |nto pay|ng g|gs. l d|dn't th|nk wo woro good onough to bo
pa|d, but |t startod to bocomo sor|ous. Wo d|d ono g|g |n 0oncastor, a hundrod m||os trom
3|rm|ngham, and |t was just ||ko tho o|d days. Wo woro a|| go|ng |n 1aspor's ostato car and wo
broko down on tho motorway. lono ot us was usod to that any moro, bocauso wo a|ways had
poop|o work|ng tor us to sort th|s stutt out. 3o wo woro |ook|ng at oach othor, go|ng: 'What do wo
do now?'
'l don't know.'
'Chr|st! Wo'vo st||| got a |ong way to go!'
1aspor phonod th|s b|oko who workod tor h|m and ho arrangod tor a car to como and p|ck us
up, tako us up to tho g|g and thon br|ng us back attorwards. Wo t|na||y got to th|s g|g and thoro
was w|no, champagno, tho works, |t was a roa| b|g, t|ash do. Wo p|ayod a ||tt|o sot and thon
guzz|od bott|os ot champagno.
On tho way homo wo had to stop ovory twonty m|nutos bocauso wo woro a|| throw|ng up as
wo'd drunk so much so qu|ck|y. Evontua||y wo a|| got back to 1aspor's dr|vo and ovorybody to||
out ot tho car go|ng: '3|ooohhrghgh!'
lt was ||ko torty yoars ago, on|y w|th grown mon.
Wo d|d a tow g|gs and wo had roquosts tor a |ot moro. 1aspor had a wook|y 1v show and wo
ovon p|ayod on that, do|ng 'louto 00' and a song by 3tatus Ouo. And wo had 3o|ch 1-sh|rts as
wo||, roa||y natt onos. 3ut 1aspor got too busy do|ng h|s comody shows. |o ownod a b|g part ot
tho to|ov|s|on product|on company Co|ador, and ho wont on to do bo oots to Bo o
Vl||looolto. 1ho othor band mombors got too busy as wo||. Wo d|dn't broak up as such, wo just
d|dn't havo tho t|mo to do |t any moro. 3ut who knows? Vaybo wo'|| do |t aga|n somoday.
1ust tor a |augh.
80
|ommi, tho aIbum
Whon l to|d 3haron Osbourno about my |doa ot mak|ng an a|bum w|th a|| d|ttoront s|ngors, sho
was roa||y |ntorostod |n ro|oas|ng |t on tho Osbournos' |abo|, 0|v|no locords. Wo had somo
ottors trom othor compan|os, but l thought, wo||, sho's good at what sho doos. 3ho ottorod us a
good amount ot monoy, but, moro than that, sho was go|ng to got |t go|ng, g|vo |t a k|ck up tho
arso, do tho promot|on. 3o wo camo to an agroomont. Wo soomod to got on wo|| thon, but l
cou|dn't ros|st rotorr|ng to tho many d|sagroomonts wo'd had |n tho past whon l thankod hor |n
tho C0 book|ot, wr|t|ng: 'Who'd havo thought |t!'
l wroto somo ot tho stutt at my houso but most ot |t was dono at producor 3ob Var|otto's p|aco
|n Ca||torn|a. l d|dn't qu|to know what d|roct|on to go |n attor tho 3abbath stutt. |o||ow that or just
go ott a b|t? What wo ondod up do|ng was st||| r|tty, but moro modorn. 3ob d|roctod |t that way,
and ho d|d a good job at that. |o's a koyboard p|ayor as wo||, and ho had a good oar tor what
was noodod. l wroto tho r|tts and ho put a drum pattorn and ottocts to thom. |o usod a |ot ot
ottocts, computor|sod stutt, bocauso ho was good at that.
Wo d|d what l'd wantod to do whon l d|d 5ovootb 5tot. 1h|s t|mo, thoro was hugo onthus|asm.
Wo had ovory s|ngor wo wantod and moro. Wo actua||y had to turn poop|o down. lt was a|so a
good oxpor|onco tor mo to work w|th so many d|ttoront art|sts. lt was a cha||ongo. 1ako, tor
|nstanco, how wo workod w|th 3|||y Corgan on tho song '3|ack Ob||v|on'. Wo wont |nto tho A8V
3tud|os and 3|||y was go|ng to p|ay bass and s|ng. |o camo down to tho stud|o a tow days
botoro and l p|ayod h|m somo r|tts. l rocordod thom on a ||tt|o cassotto tor h|m to tako away and
||ston to. |o camo back a coup|o ot days |ator and brought drummor Konny Aronott down to tho
stud|o w|th h|m. 3|||y sa|d |t wou|d bo n|co to do a track w|th |oads ot d|ttoront changos |n |t. Wo
ondod up wr|t|ng and rocord|ng |t at tho samo t|mo. lt was that qu|ck. 1horo's actua||y a |ot ot stutt
on tho a|bum that wo p|ayod ||vo. Wo woro jamm|ng and |t roa||y pushod your bra|n.
lt ho|pod to havo Konny Aronott thoro as wo||, bocauso ho's roa||y good. l'm suro ho's ono ot
tho tow who'd bo ab|o to p|ay somoth|ng w|th so many changos |n |t, thoro and thon, as wo woro
do|ng |t.
'Oh, |ot's put anothor b|t |n horo!'
Go|ng through tho who|o song aga|n and p|ay|ng | t ||vo, |t was norvo-wrack|ng. l was work|ng
w|th poop|o l'd novor workod w|th botoro, wr|t|ng songs l had to got my hoad around wh||o
norma||y l'd ||vo w|th thom a b|t t|rst, and a|| that |n ono day, wr|t|ng |t and rocord|ng |t. '3|ack
Ob||v|on' w|th 3|||y was a tough song |n part|cu|ar, w|th a|| thoso d|ttoront changos |n |t, but |t
turnod out groat and |t was a good oxpor|onco do|ng |t th|s way.
'laugh|ng Van', w|th |onry lo|||ns, was ono ot tho t|rst wo put down. |onry camo ovor to
3ob's stud|o, wh|ch was bas|ca||y a sma|| room at h|s houso. |onry was s|ng|ng away |nto a
m|crophono wh||o l was s|tt|ng on tho couch on|y a tow toot away. lt's a vory hoavy track. Wo had
p|ayod a coup|o ot th|ngs to |onry and ho p|ckod that ono and wroto a|| tho |yr|cs to that. |o
roa||y onjoyod do|ng |t.
Anothor guy who was roa||y up tor |t was 0avo Groh|. Whon l had h|m como down to tho stud|o
to do 'Goodbyo lamont', l a|roady had Vatt Camoron on drums and 0avo sa|d: 'Oh, l'd |ovo to
p|ay th|s track? Can l p|ay drums as wo|| as s|ng?'
3o ho p|ayod drums and ho was roa||y good. W|th most s|ngors, ||ko 3orj 1ank|an trom
3ystom Ot A 0own, 3k|n ot 3kunk Anans|o, lh| | Anso|mo ot lantora, lan Astbury trom 1ho Cu|t
and 3|||y ldo|, wo'd sond thom a cassotto w|th a track wo'd wr|tton botorohand. 1hoy'd put |yr|cs
to thom, como down to stud|os, bo thoro tor tho day and s|ng |t.
lotor 3too|o's '1ust 3ay lo 1o lovo' was vory d|ttoront, bocauso ho has such a un|quo vo|co.
l know h|m bocauso wo'd had 1ypo O logat|vo on our tours so otton. Whon ho camo to tho
stud|o ho kopt say|ng: 'l'm so honourod to do th|s, that you askod mo. And l'm roa||y norvous.'
l sa|d: '0on't worry. lo|ax.'
3otoro ho sang ho sa|d: '|avo you got any w|no?'
l got h|m a bott|o ot w|no and to sott|o h|s norvos ho gu|pod tho who|o th|ng down just ||ko that. l
to|t sorry tor h|m, roa||y. |o d|od |n Apr|| 2010, wh|ch camo as a hugo shock to mo. lotor was a
b|g, ta|| and vory, vory n|co guy.
Ozzy wroto tho |yr|cs to 'Who's |oo||ng Who'. |or Ozzy to s|t down and wr|to |yr|cs was
unusua|, but ho camo back w|th thom and d|d |t. lt was much tho samo as whon wo d|d 'lsycho
Van', ono ot tho now tracks tor tho Roooloo a|bum. |o camo down and sat thoro and to|d a tow
jokos. lt's an a||-day th|ng w|th h|m. |o thon put a b|t down and 3ob workod w|th h|m on that: got
a vorso t|rst and thon bu||d that up. |o had dono two vorsos and thon l had dono an up-tompo
th|ng wh|ch l wantod h|m to s|ng on as wo||, but ho d|dn't so l just p|ayod a so|o |n |t.
1ho a|bum was ro|oasod |n Octobor 2000 and |t was s|mp|y ca||od lomml. 3haron ho|d a b|g
|aunch party tor |t. 3ho put a |ot ot work |nto |t and l thought sho d|d a good job. 1ho a|bum got
groat rov|ows a|| ovor tho p|aco and ospoc|a||y |n Amor|ca |t roco|vod a |ot ot a|rp|ay. 3a|os woro
good as wo||, a|though l wasn't roa||y bothorod about that. lt was much moro |mportant to mo that
l'd dono somoth|ng that l had wantod to do tor a |ong t|mo. lt was n|co work|ng w|th d|ttoront
art|sts, youngor and o|dor.
81
An audionco with tho Ouoon
1ho yoar 2001 passod w|thout much |nc|dont. Aga|n 3|ack 3abbath jo|nod tho Ozztost, start|ng
ott w|th a coup|o ot g|gs |n tho UK, attor wh|ch tho summor was spont on tho road |n Amor|ca.
1ho to||ow|ng yoar attor wo sk|ppod tho Ozztost, as wo d|dn't want to hoad||no |t ovory s|ng|o
yoar. 1ho samo bands on tho b||| ovory t|mo wou|d bo doad|y tor tho tost and wo d|dn't want to
got |nto a s|tuat|on whoro poop|o wou|d th|nk, oh . . . thom aga|n!
3haron Osbourno d|d havo a b|g surpr|so |n storo tor mo that yoar. ln Vay 2002 sho got |n
touch about mo and Ozzy do|ng a g|g at 3uck|ngham la|aco tor tho Ouoon's Go|don 1ub||oo,
co|obrat|ng tho tact that Ouoon E||zaboth ll had boon on tho throno tor t|tty yoars. l thought, that's
a strango roquost to got us on that show. 1hoy woro usod to hav|ng C||tt l|chard and 1ho 3oach
3oys, 1om 1onos and 3h|r|oy 3assoy, lau| VcCartnoy ovon. 3ut l corta|n|y wou|dn't havo
oxpoctod mo and Ozzy. 1hat was a roa| curvoba||.
1hoy sa|d: 'Wou|d you m|nd hav|ng lh|| Co|||ns p|ay drums?'
'Ot courso, groat, tantast|c!'
And wo had l|no la||ad|no trom 1ho Who p|ay|ng bass, a |ovo|y guy. At our rohoarsa| wo
startod p|ay|ng 'larano|d' and Ozzy turnod around and gavo lh|| Co|||ns a roa||y wo|rd |ook. l
know what Ozzy's ||ko, ho just doos that anyway. 3ut lh|| d|dn't. Attor a wh||o Ozzy |ott and l ran
through tho song w|th lh|| and l|no aga|n. lh|| sa|d to mo: 'What's tho mattor w|th Ozzy, havon't
l boon p|ay|ng |t r|ght?'
'Yos, you'vo boon p|ay|ng |t t|no.'
'3ut ho gavo mo such a d|rty |ook!'
'|o probab|y d|dn't ovon not|co ho d|d that. lo, thoro's noth|ng wrong.'
'Oh, l was concornod. 1o|| mo |t l'm not p|ay|ng |t r|ght.'
'You'ro p|ay|ng |t groat!'
1ho noxt day wo wont to 3uck|ngham la|aco to do tho sound chock. lt was ||ko |ort Knox to
got |n |t, wh|ch |s undorstandab|o l supposo. Wo wont on stago, outs|do |n tho grounds ot tho
la|aco. Wo d|d our sound chock but had to como ott stago |n tho m|dd|o ot |t, bocauso thoro
was a t|ro |n ono ot tho rooms |n tho la|aco. Apparont|y thoy had boxos and boxos ot t|roworks
thoy woro go|ng to |ot ott on tho n|ght and woro concornod wo'd a|| b|ow up, so thoy had to go
and |nvost|gato.
3r|an Vay had ca||od mo tho day botoro. |o was to go up on tho root to p|ay 'God 3avo 1ho
Ouoon', and ho sa|d: 'Wou|d you do |t w|th us?'
l sa|d: 'Oh God, l can't do that. l wou|d novor bo ab|o to |oarn that and bo comtortab|o onough
to p|ay |t |n tront ot b||||ons ot poop|o watch|ng on 1v!'
'Wo||, just como up w|th us thon.'
'l don't ||ko ho|ghts. l can't!'
'You p|ay on stago thon and l'|| p|ay up thoro!'
'l'd novor |oarn |t |n t|mo!'
1hank goodnoss l sa|d no to that. 3ut 3r|an was bravo onough to do |t.
3ackstago botoro tho g|g l stood outs|do ta|k|ng to lau| VcCartnoy and somo othor poop|o. lt
was groat, but thoro woro a|| thoso s|gns say|ng 'lo 0r|nk|ng', 'lo 3woar|ng', no th|s, no that.
1hat torr|t|od Ozzy moro than anyth|ng, bocauso w|th h|m ovoryth|ng |s tuck|ng th|s and tuck|ng
that, so ho was pract|s|ng not swoar|ng. |o wa|kod up and down |n tho dross|ng room go|ng:
'la|so your hands, como on, ra|so your hands . . .' |nstoad ot h|s norma|: 'la|so your tuck|ng
hand, you tuckors!'
l thought, no way ho's go|ng to koop that up! 3ut ho d|d.
Wo wont on, and Ozzy wont on too soon. |o was oxc|tod and was a|roady wa|k|ng on as thoy
announcod us. Wo d|d tho g|g and |t wont roa||y good. Wo camo ott and l had a chat w|th a tow
othors, 1om 1onos and tho rost ot thom.
A groat day.
Attorwards wo woro |nv|tod to tho la|aco tor a dr|nk. l was stand|ng thoro |n th|s tantast|c,
hugo, |ovo|y room ta|k|ng to lh|| Co|||ns whon 1ony 3|a|r spottod mo and camo ovor: '1ony!
1ony!'
'Eh?'
l'd novor mot h|m |n my ||to. lt was unroa| to havo tho pr|mo m|n| stor como ovor to mo ||ko ho'd
known mo tor yoars. |o sa|d: 'l'm a b|g tan. l'vo got a|| tho oar|y a|bums!'
1hon h|s w|to camo ovor and ho |ntroducod mo to hor. Wh||o l was ta|k|ng to thom, l saw Ozzy
wa|k|ng ovor to mo. |o askod mo somoth|ng and l wont: 'Oz, moot 1ony 3|a|r.'
|o wont: 'Oh, oh . . . ho||o.'
And that was |t. 1ony 3|a|r put h|s hand out and |t was ||ko . . . noth|ng. Ozzy d|dn't ovon
acknow|odgo h|m and just wa|kod ott. l sa|d to 1ony: '|o's a|ways ||ko that, you know.'
3ocauso l d|dn't know what to say.
1ony sa|d: 'lt's okay.'
1hon l saw lr|nco Char|os wa|k ovor to ta|k to Ozzy. l thought, oh ho||, thoro's no way Ozzy |s
go|ng to bo ab|o to ta|k to h|m w|thout swoar|ng. 1ho who|o th|ng, |t was just unroa|.
l ondod up moot|ng tho Ouoon, lr|nco Char|os, lr|ncoss Anno and a|| tho gang, and thoy
woro roa||y n|co. Whon you soo thom on 1v |t's a|| vory sor|ous, but thoy woro down to oarth. l
was qu|to surpr|sod. 1ho Ouoon d|dn't roa||y say anyth|ng and l d|dn't say anyth|ng to hor. 3ho
just comos by and sm||os and you nod and that's |t roa||y. 3ho ta|kod to hard|y anybody. 3ut tho
two young pr|ncos, W||||am and |arry, camo ovor and sa|d to mo: 'Why d|dn't you p|ay 3|ack
3abbath'?'
l sa|d: 'l don't th|nk that wou|d havo gono down that wo||.'
lt was a groat n|ght. 1ho or|g|na| |doa was to stay thoro tor on|y t|ttoon m|nutos and c|oar ott,
but l'd boon thoro ha|t an hour, torty m|nutos, and l was tho t|rst to |oavo. Var|a and mo wont
back to tho hoto|, tho lanosborough, ovor|ook|ng tho back ot 3uck|ngham la|aco, a roa| t|ash
p|aco. Wo wont up to our room, got |nto bod and about two and a ha|t hours |ator tho t|ro a|arm
wont ott: 'Wou|d you p|oaso |oavo tho rooms, p|oaso |oavo tho rooms.'
Wo got drossod and, as wo wa|kod out |nto tho ha||way, l saw tho ||ro 3r|gado go|ng |nto
Ozzy's room.
3omobody had sot tho a|arm ott and thoy assumod |t was com|ng trom h|s room. 3ut |t wasn't
h|m, ho was |n bod w|th 3haron. 1ho ||ro 3r|gado burst |n and Ozzy had a t|t.
Wo had to ovacuato and stand around outs|do. l cou|dn't bo||ovo |t: tw|co |n ono day, |n tho
attornoon at 3uck|ngham la|aco and thon at our hoto|. 3o ovorybody thought, that's strango, |t
happonod ovor thoro and now horo as wo|| . . . |t must bo thom!
82
Eata ott to Rob EaItord
On 0 0ocombor 2008, poop|o trom sovora| 3r|t|sh to|ov| s|on shows got |n touch w|th mo to soo
|t l wou|d do an |ntorv|ow about Ozzy's acc|dont. l d|dn't know what tho ho|| thoy woro on about,
but l soon |oarnod that ho had crashod h|s quad b|ko and brokon h|s co||arbono and |ots ot othor
th|ngs. |o was |n hosp|ta| tor qu|to a wh||o whoro ho had mota| bars put |n h|s shou|dor and h|s
co||arbono. |o was vory |ucky to bo a||vo.
l spoko to h|m, ot courso - l wou|dn't just |oavo h|m ||ko that - and 3haron |ot us know how ho
was do|ng as wo||. Apart trom h|m noar|y dy|ng, ho was do|ng vory wo|| actua||y. Ozzy had just
ro|oasod tho o|d 3|ack 3abbath song 'Changos' as a duot w|th h|s daughtor Ko||y. l novor know
ho was go|ng to bo do|ng that and l was qu|to surpr|sod, but |t was groat. And attor h|s crash |t
wont stra|ght to lo. 1.
lt took Ozzy qu|to a wh||o to hoa|, but |n 1uno ho was wo|| onough to do tho Ozztost aga|n, w|th
3|ack 3abbath hoad||n|ng onco moro. Wo k|ckod ott |n |arttord, Connoct|cut. Wh||o wo woro
p|ay|ng 'War l|gs', thoy projoctod a t||m boh|nd us show|ng Goorgo 3ush sport|ng a c|own's
noso, togothor w|th Ado|t ||t|or. Ono ot tho prob|oms w|th thoso Ozztosts was that a|| th|s stutt
was dono w|thout us know|ng about |t. E|thor that, or thoy wou|d show |t to us at such a |ato stago
that |t wou|d bo a caso ot uso |t or scrap |t a|togothor. 1ho ||t|or th|ng causod a b|t ot an uproar,
but, thon aga|n, thoro's boon uproar about ovoryth|ng wo'vo b|oody dono.
1udas lr|ost was on tho b||| as wo||. 1owards tho ond ot tho tour, lob |a|tord had to stop |n
tor Ozzy. ln tho attornoon ot tho Camdon, low 1orsoy, show, tho tour managor and tho
product|on managor sa|d to mo: 'Wo'vo got a prob|om.'
l thought, oh, horo wo go.
1hoy sa|d: 'Ozzy |s not go|ng to mako tho g|g ton|ght.'
'Ah . . .'
'|ow wou|d you too| about somobody o|so do|ng tho g|g, ||ko lob |a|tord?'
'|as anybody askod lob? lt ho'd bo |ntorostod |n do|ng |t?'
'lo, wo thought wo'd ask you t|rst.'
l sa|d: 'As |ong as you |ot tho k|ds know that Ozzy |s not do|ng tho g|g botoro thoy'ro com|ng |n,
or |ot thom know wo|| |n advanco that lob |s go|ng to do |t, t|no. Wo w||| do |t |t lob can do |t.'
lob qu|ck|y |oarnod our stutt |n h|s bus. |o'd soon our show umptoon t|mos so ho just had to
watch tho 0v0 a b|t and run ovor tho th|ngs that ho d|dn't know so much.
Wo woro duo to go on stago and l sa|d to tho tour managor: 'You d|d to|| tho k|ds, r|ght?'
'lo, wo havon't sa|d anyth|ng.'
'You'ro k|dd|ng. You havo to |ot tho k|ds know that Ozzy |s not go|ng to bo do|ng |t!'
1hoy askod mo |t l wou|d go on and announco |t and l sa|d: 'You |ott |t th|s |ato, l'm corta|n|y not
go|ng to wa|k out and say Ozzy's not show|ng up!'
Evontua||y 3||| to|d tho crowd Ozzy cou|dn't do |t, but that lob was k|nd onough to stand |n, and
so on. 3|ack 3abbath to||owod 1udas lr|ost, so lob camo ott tho stago, changod h|s c|othos,
and ho had ||ko a ha|t an hour botoro ho had to go on aga|n. lt wont groat. lt was tromondous
how ho d|d h|s sot and thon ours as wo||. Vy hat ott to h|m, ho's such a groat portormor.
1ho tour wont on unt|| 4 3optombor, whon wo woro go|ng to do a show |n Wost la|m 3oach.
You cou|d say wo wont down a storm w|thout ovon p|ay|ng, bocauso |t was canco||od duo to
|urr|cano |rancos. Wo woro stay|ng at th|s hoto| thoro and l had somo tr|onds who t|ow out trom
Eng|and to watch tho show. As soon as thoy arr|vod |t was canco||od.
1ho band had a pr|vato jot so wo got out botoro tho storm camo |n b|g t|mo, and l |ot my
tr|onds stay |n my hoto| room. 1hoy surv|vod |t. 1hoy must havo boon a|| r|ght, bocauso whon l
roco|vod tho b||| |ator l saw thoy drank my m|n|bar dry.
88
Fuaod with CIonn again
lato |n 2004 l startod work|ng on my noxt so|o a|bum. ||rst wo tr|od a s|ngor ca||od 1rn lando
trom tho Gorman band Vastorp|an. |o was a n|co |ad w|th a groat vo|co who soundod vory
much ||ko lonn|o 1amos 0|o. 3ut thon |t turnod out G|onn |ughos was troo to work on a rocord
w|th mo aga|n. G|onn |s roa||y ta|ontod, ho |s good to work w|th and wo got on roa||y wo||, so |t
soomod good tor us to havo anothor go at mak|ng an a|bum.
Wo wont |nto a rohoarsa| room |n 3|rm|ngham to work on tho songs ot what was to bocomo
losoo. 1ho t|rst day wo got togothor wo mot V|ko Exotor thoro, who |s tho ong|noor |n my own
stud|o at homo. V|ko sa|d: '0o you want a cup ot cottoo, G|onn?'
'Yos, p|oaso.'
lt was tata| to g|vo G|onn a cup ot cottoo, bocauso as soon as ho had |t, ho wont |nto
ovordr|vo. 3ang! lt was just ||ko ho'd had throo ||nos ot coko aga|n. |o drovo us up tho wa||
gott|ng a|| oxc|tod ||ko that.
'Wo||, 1ono, |s |t a|| r|ght, 1ono, |ot's go, 1ono!'
|o cou|dn't s|t st||| tor t|vo soconds.
l sa|d: 'G|onn!'
|o was t|dgot|ng and ta|k|ng away: 'Yoah, wo||, l'm sorry, l don't dr|nk cottoo! And l . . . l . . . l
shou|dn't dr|nk |t roa||y!'
|o wou|dn't shut up. V|ko camo |n and l sa|d: 'lo moro cottoo tor h|m!'
1ust ||ko l'd dono tor tho 0El soss|ons, l p|ayod G|onn somo r|tts. |o |s tho sort ot b|oko who
w||| s|ng on anyth|ng you p|ay h|m.
'Oh, l ||ko that ono. And l ||ko that ono. And that ono!'
'Wh|ch ono do you want to do thon?'
Wo'd p|ck ono and bu||d |t |nto a song.
Wo had a bash tor a coup|o ot days and thon wo brought 3ob Var|otto |n to work on somo
moro songs and produco tho rocord. l sa|d to 3ob: 'lot's put a tow tracks down, |ot's havo a ||tt|o
bash', and wo camo up w|th tour or t|vo tracks |n no t|mo at a||. Wo rocordod thom at my houso
and most ot thoso tapos woro actua||y usod tor tho t|na| tracks.
3|nco work|ng w|th Konny Aronott on tho lomml a|bum l just thought ho was a roa||y good
drummor, so wo brought h|m ovor. 1ho tour ot us workod on tho songs, wo d|d rough takos ot a||
tho tracks and wo took |t to tho Vonnow va||oy 3tud|os |n Vonmouth to rocord |t propor|y thoro. lt
was a|| vory qu|ck: got togothor, wroto |t and rocordod |t.
losoo was ro|oasod |n 1u|y 200b on 3anctuary locords. Wo d|d a promot|ona| tour tor that,
w|th qu|to a |ot ot rad|o stutt, but wo d|dn't support tho a|bum w|th a concort tour, bocauso l was
out w|th 3|ack 3abbath do|ng Ozztost at tho t|mo. lt was good to soo that |t was roco|vod vory
wo|| by tho cr|t|cs and tho aud|onco a||ko. Attor hav|ng boon mot w|th torr|b|o rov|ows and
nogat|vo art|c|os tor most ot my caroor, |t shou|dn't havo mattorod to mo that much any moro, but
|t was n|co to soo so many poop|o approc|at|ng our mus|c that much.
84
Entoring tho EaIIa ot Famo
Wo woro up tor |t probab|y sovon or o|ght t|mos, and on 18 Varch 2000 wo woro t|na||y |nductod
|nto tho Amor|can lock and lo|| |a|| ot |amo. And a coup|o ot months botoro that wo'd a|roady
boon |nductod |n tho UK Vus|c |a|| ot |amo.
Whon |t ra|ns, |t pours.
Wo woro |nductod |nto tho UK ono |n lovombor 200b at A|oxandra la|aco |n north london.
Wo p|ayod 'larano|d' at that coromony and that wont groat. 3r|an Vay |nductod us. 1horo was a
b|t ot a commot|on about that, bocauso 3haron wantod Angus Young ot AC/0C to do |t. l wantod
3r|an. 1hon sho wantod Angus and 3r|an to do |t togothor, but 3r|an just d|dn't want to do |t that
way. l'm g|ad ho stuck to h|s guns. |o wasn't go|ng to do |t and l had to phono h|m up and sa|d:
'l|oaso do |t. 0o |t tor mo.'
|o camo and mado a groat spooch, abso|uto|y tantast|c. l was roa||y proud ot h|m.
Ozzy was p|ay|ng thoro as wo|| w|th h|s band and Angus Young sa|d about throo words about
that. Wo||, h|s t|rst tow words woro: '|o||o, can you hoar mo? Can you hoar mo?' |o's probab|y
as good a ta|kor as l am on thoso b|oody occas|ons.
Wo wont |nto th|s 1v stat|on to do an |ntorv|ow r|ght attor tho prosontat|on, and tho b|oko sa|d:
'last yoar wo had V|chao| 1ackson |n horo. |o camo |n w|th h|s award and whon ho wa|kod out
aga|n ho torgot |t. l'vo got |t |n my bathroom at homo now.'
l sa|d: 'Oh, roa||y? |ancy h|m do|ng that!'
And, b||moy, |t l d|dn't do oxact|y tho samo th|ng. ln tact, ho probab|y had m|no s|tt|ng |n h|s
bathroom tor a wh||o noxt to V|chao| 1ackson's. 3ut l'vo got |t back now, so ovoryth|ng |s good.
Whon wo co||octod our award tor tho Amor|can |a|| ot |amo, wo stayod at tho Wa|dort
Astor|a |n low York. 1ho ovont was ho|d |n tho hoto| ba||room. lt was groat, you cou|d just go
downsta|rs, go to tho prosontat|on, co||oct your award and c|oar ott. Wo||, supposod|y, but you
don't do that, bocauso trom thon on you go |nto tho d|ttoront 1v stat|ons that aro hookod up at
tho back thoro to do |ntorv|ows. ln do|ng so l ho|d on to my award ||ko |t was g|uod to mo,
bocauso l d|dn't want to |oso |t ||ko l had at tho UK Vus|c |a|| ot |amo.
Whon wo t|na||y got |t attor a|| thoso yoars ot bo|ng nom|natod, l was roa||y p|oasod. Ozzy had
sa|d somo stutt |n tho past, ||ko: 'l don't g|vo a tuck about bo|ng |nductod.'
l thought |t was a groat honour and l am vory proud ot |t.
1hoy wantod us to p|ay thoro, but thoro was somo prob|om so Vota|||ca p|ayod |nstoad ot us.
1hoy d|d '|o|o ln 1ho 3ky' and 'lron Van'. 1hoy woro roa||y good and thoy |nductod us as wo||,
wh|ch was roa||y n|co ot thom. lars U|r|ch and 1amos |ott|o|d sa|d somo wondortu| th|ngs about
us. 1hoy aro gonu|no b|okos and thoy do |ovo what wo'vo dono. ln tact, 1amos camo a|ong to a
tow |oavon 8 |o|| g|gs |ator, so ho's a b|g tan. And |n turn l th|nk thoy aro roa||y good. l ||ko thom
a |ot.
1ho lock and lo|| |a|| ot |amo |s a tunny o|d do, roa||y, bocauso |t gots a b|t stutty.
|ortunato|y wo cou|d |ooson up a b|t w|th tho guys wo know thoro. And, ot courso, l |oosonod up
a |ot |ator, whon l sat |n tho bar w|th Goozor 3ut|or unt|| God knows what t|mo. 1ho noxt day l to|t
b|oody awtu|.
Whon l |ott low York about tour days attor tho ovont, l put my award |n my hand baggago, just
to mako suro l d|dn't |oso |t. lt's a b|g th|ng, maybo a toot |ong, and whon l passod socur|ty at tho
a|rport thoy sa|d: 'You can't tako th|s through.'
'What do you moan? lt's an award!'
'l know, but you cou|d uso |t as a woapon.'
l thought, oh no, |t's takon mo th|rty-o|ght b|oody yoars to got |t, and now thoy aro go|ng to
cont|scato |t. 3ut ovoryth|ng was sortod out and l managod to got |t homo sato and sound.
85
1hia ia tor oaco
1owards tho ond ot 2000 l was |nv|tod to work w|th Zom|yano, th|s luss|an band that p|ayod tho
Krom||n. lt was tho|r ann|vorsary and thoy wantod to do '|oavon And |o||' and 'larano|d'. l sa|d:
'l'|| just do larano|d'.'
l just wantod to do somoth|ng short bocauso l d|dn't know who tho b|oody ho|| thoy woro, but
thoy'ro qu|to b|g |n luss|a and thoy ottorod mo a too l cou|dn't rotuso. Actua||y, thoy ottorod an
|n|t|a| too and l sa|d to la|ph: 'l don't part|cu|ar|y want to do |t. 1ust doub|o |t.'
|o doub|od |t and thoy sa|d: 'Okay.'
3o l t|ow out thoro. 1ony Vart|n and G|onn |ughos woro on as wo||, and so woro l|ck
Wakoman and h|s son, Adam, and 3onn|o 1y|or. 1ho n|ght l got |n, tho promotor took mo out to
oat and tho amount ot dr|nk was |otha|. lt was a||, havo anothor shot ot th|s and a shot ot that and
t||| up and anothor sa|uto to whoovor. Attor just a tow ot thom l thought, tuck|ng ho||, |t l d|d th|s tor
a coup|o ot days l wou|dn't surv|vo. l was abso|uto|y |og|oss. l sa|d: 'l'vo just got to go to bod. l'm
p|ay|ng tomorrow! l'm go|ng.'
1hoy sa|d: '1hat's an |nsu|t, you know!'
Oh sh|t, horo wo go. And norma||y l don't dr|nk shots at a||.
'lo, no. |avo anothor ono!'
l d|d. And l d|dn't too| a|| that stunn|ng tho noxt day.
3otoro tho show l was s|tt|ng on my own |n tho dross|ng room, thoro was a knock on tho door
and th|s army wa|kod |n. About twonty poop|o, w|th |ots ot photographors and camoramon and
bodyguards - |t was abso|uto|y mad. 3omobody p|nnod a moda| on mo and sa|d: '1h|s |s tor
poaco.'
|o shook my hand tor tho camoras and |ott.
3hoot - as soon as thoy'd como |n, thoy'd gono.
And that was |t.
What happonod?
l novor tound out who |t was. |or a|| l know |t was lut|n h|mso|t.
1hon l d|d tho g|g. 1horo woro on|y vory woa|thy poop|o thoro, obv|ous|y a|| connoctod w|th tho
govornmont, and thoy woro a|| drossod up. lt was |n a sma|| thoatro that probab|y on|y ho|d 200
poop|o, r|ght thoro |n tho Krom||n. 1o p|ay a g|g ||ko that was ovor so wo|rd.
l saw 1ony Vart|n thoro tor tho t|rst t|mo s|nco tho ond ot tho |orb|ddon tour, back |n 100b. |o
wont on and sang '|oad|oss Cross'. lt was a|| r|ght soo|ng h|m thoro, t|rst at tho show and thon
|ator at tho rostaurant.
1hat rostaurant was anothor mattor. 1hoy had c|osod |t tor rogu|ar customors, so |t bocamo a
pr|vato th|ng tor tho poop|o connoctod to tho show. Wo wont tor |unch thoro, mo, my gu|tar toch,
my ass|stant and ono ot tho poop|o trom tho promotor's ott|co. Apart trom us, tho p|aco was
comp|oto|y ompty. l askod tor tho w|no ||st and l p|ckod th|s oxpons|vo w|no. 1hoy brought a
bott|o ot |t, pourod |t, l had a s|p and l sa|d to tho b|oko: '1h|s w|no |s ott.'
1ho hoad wa|tor camo up and sa|d: 'What's tho prob|om w|th tho w|no?'
'lt's ott.'
1ho |ook on h|s taco, ho was so p|ssod ott!
'lt's not ott. lt can't bo ott!'
3ut |t was. 1hoy probab|y woron't usod to poop|o spond|ng that sort ot monoy on a bott|o ot
w|no. 1hon thoy brought anothor ono.
1hat was ott as wo||.
l sa|d to tho promotor b|oko: 'l can't bo||ovo |t. 3ut don't say anyth|ng. 1ust |oavo |t. 3ocauso
tho |ook thoy gavo mo tho t|rst t|mo!'
And tho wa|tors probab|y thought, ho's on|y had ono s|p ot |t . . . oxtravagant!
80
Eoavon and EoII, tour and band
ln tho autumn ot 2000 la|ph to|d mo that tho rocord company wantod to put a packago togothor
ot stutt trom tho 0|o ora. l'd soon lonn|o not |ong botoro that at a g|g |n 3|rm|ngham. lt had boon
t|ttoon yoars and |t was good to soo h|m aga|n. 3o l sa|d to la|ph: 'Why don't wo ask lonn|o |t
ho'd bo |ntorostod |n do|ng two songs ospoc|a||y tor th|s a|bum, just a coup|o ot ono-otts?'
lonn|o was |ntorostod and t|ow ovor trom Ca||torn|a. Wo sat down |n my k|tchon, hav|ng
cottoo, and anothor cottoo, try|ng to got to know oach othor aga|n. Wo d|dn't want to actua||y
start yot, wo woro a b|t ||ko, oh, yoah, what aro wo go|ng to do?
||na||y l sa|d: 'Wo||, sha|| wo havo a go thon?'
'Oh. A|| r|ght.'
Wo wont |nto my stud|o and |t just jo||od aga|n ||ko |t usod to. lnstoad ot tho two songs tho
rocord company wantod, wo wroto throo. Wo woro |n good sp|r|ts and too||ng product|vo so wo
thought, why don't wo do a tast ono, a s|ow ono and a m|d-tompo ono? 3omoth|ng tor
ovorybody. 1ho t|rst song wo wroto was '3hadow Ot 1ho W|nd', tho s|ow ono. lonn|o camo up
w|th tho r|tt and thon wo addod moro to |t and bu||t |t |nto a song. l camo up w|th tho r|tt tor '1ho
0ov|| Cr|od'. lonn|o had to go back homo to lA tor a tow days and l sont h|m a rough tako ot |t.
|o roa||y ||kod that. And wo wroto tho tast ono, 'Ear ln 1ho Wa||', attor ho'd como back aga|n.
Goozor camo ovor and wo domood tho throo tracks |n tho stud|o at my houso.
l'd a|ways boon |n contact w|th 3||| and l sa|d to h|m: 'Wou|d you bo |ntorostod |n do|ng thoso
tracks w|th us?'
|o wont: '1hat sounds roa||y good. l'd |ovo to do that!'
l got h|m ovor to Eng|and a wook botoro tho othors camo, so that wo cou|d run through tho
|doas and ho cou|d got usod to p|ay|ng thoso songs. l had sont 3||| a track about throo wooks
oar||or as wo||, so ho cou|d start work|ng on that. 3ut ho obv|ous|y hadn't. 1hon lonn|o and
Goozor arr|vod. Evorybody was gott|ng a b|t |mpat|ont, bocauso 3||| was tak|ng h|s t|mo. |o
wantod to ana|yso ovoryth|ng and try out d|ttoront th|ngs, wh|ch |s tho way ho |s. lt was a b|t
d|tt|cu|t, bocauso l was bo|ng askod: '|ow |ong |s |t go|ng to bo?'
A|| l cou|d say was: 'l don't know!'
Untortunato|y wo woro work|ng to a str|ct doad||no and lonn|o |n part|cu|ar was koon to got
go|ng and roturn homo. Wo ta|kod to 3||| about |t and suggostod a coup|o ot |doas, but ho wasn't
happy to p|ay tho sort ot th|ng that wo woro hoar|ng on tho tracks. lt just d|dn't work out. 3|||
wasn't go|ng to bo tho ono to p|ay on |t. Wo thought about putt|ng tho band back togothor and
tour|ng as wo||, but 3||| sa|d: 'l don't part|cu|ar|y want to bo do|ng a |ot ot shows.'
lt wou|d havo boon tunny tor 3||| anyway, bocauso a |ot ot tho mus|c wo woro go|ng to bo
p|ay|ng wou|d'vo boon now to h|m, as ho'd p|ayod on tho loovoo ooo lo|| a|bum but v|nny had
dono Vob Ro|os and Lobomoolzot. 3ocauso ot a|| th|s, wo got v|nny |n to p|ay on thoso throo
tracks |nstoad. And that was |t. lonn|o and Goozor wont back homo and tho tracks woro addod
to tho a|bum. lt camo out and tho |ntorost was groat.
As soon as promotors hoard that wo had wr|tton throo now tracks togothor, thoy wont: 'Whon
aro you go|ng to tour?'
Wo ta|kod about |t among ourso|vos and doc|dod to tako |t stago by stago. Wo d|dn't want to
comm|t ourso|vos tor yoars to como. Wo thought, okay, |ot's do a tour and soo what happons.
1hoy bookod a tour and wo wont and d|d |t. 3y tho t|mo 7bo Llo Yoots camo out |n Apr||
2007, wo woro on tho road |n Canada and tho 3tatos. lt was groat and |t roa||y wont down wo||. lt
was tho t|rst t|mo |n noar|y torty yoars that l was tour|ng undor a d|ttoront namo. Wo d|dn't want to
ca|| |t 3|ack 3abbath, as wo had boon tour|ng w|th tho Ozzy ||no-up aga|n as wo|| and wo d|dn't
want to contuso poop|o. Wo woron't p|ay|ng tho o|d stutt o|thor, wo stuck to tho songs wo'd
rocordod w|th lonn|o. At t|rst wo woron't go|ng to ca|| ourso|vos anyth|ng and just uso our own
namos, wh||o ca|||ng th|s tour tho |oavon and |o|| tour. 3ut soon poop|o woro ca|||ng tho band
|oavon 8 |o|| and wo stuck w|th that.
Wo startod w|th Vogadoth and 0own w|th lh|| Anso|mo, whoso spot was takon by Vach|no
|oad m|d-tour. lt wont roa||y wo||. Wo p|ayod moro than th|rty datos a|| ovor Amor|ca and |n Vay
wo wont ovor to Europo tor summor tost|va|s and aronas. And thon wo wo|comod 0own back tor
two wooks |n Austra||a and low Zoa|and. 1hroughout 3optombor wo tourod Amor|ca aga|n, th|s
t|mo w|th A||co Coopor and Ouoonsrcho. Wo'd known A||co tor qu|to a wh||o and ho's a n|co
guy. Er|c 3|ngor was h|s drummor at tho t|mo. 0ur|ng that tour l saw A||co a coup|o ot t|mos |n
tho |obby ot tho hoto|.
'You'ro go|ng out tor a b|t?'
'Yoah, go|ng to p|ay a round ot go|t.'
||n|sh|ng |n 1apan, wo woro a b|t sad that that m|ght bo tho ond. l sa|d to lonn|o: 'Wou|d you
bo |ntorostod |n do|ng anothor a|bum?'
'Yoah, l'd |ovo to do that. What about Goozor?'
'Wo'|| ask.'
Goozor jo|nod us |n th|s 1apanoso rostaurant and ho d|dn't |ast t|vo m|nutos bocauso ho's a
vogan. Ot a|| tho p|acos to go w|th us that was tho wrong ono, bocauso wo woro oat|ng raw t|sh
and ovoryth|ng. |o on|y camo |n tor a dr|nk, saw thom put a|| tho ||vo shr|mps on tho gr|||, got
roa||y angry and buggorod ott.
3ut ho was up tor |t, and so was v|nny.
1hat sott|od |t: wo woro go|ng to mako anothor a|bum!
87
1ho DoviI You Know
Wo d|dn't wr|to wh||o wo woro on tho road. l d|d havo an amp |n tho dross|ng room and t|dd|od
about a b|t and somot|mos l'd como up w|th a coup|o ot r|tts, wh|ch l thon rocordod on a ||tt|o
d|g|ta| mach|no. l just kopt thom so that l cou|d go back to thom at somo po|nt, but |t novor
workod try|ng to wr|to a propor song wh||o on tour. Wo novor sat down togothor to do |t, s|mp|y
bocauso wo woron't |n oach othor's company a|| that much. Vo and Goozor travo||od on ono bus
togothor and v|nny and lonn|o on anothor, and wo both |ott at d|ttoront t|mos. Attor a g|g Goozor
and myso|t wou|d havo a showor, got on tho bus and go. lonn|o usua||y stayod boh|nd tor a
coup|o ot hours bocauso ho ||kod to ro|ax, havo a dr|nk and soo a tow poop|o. Voanwh||o,
Goozor and mo woro as|oop and on tho road. l'm an oar|y r|sor, but lonn|o wou|d s|oop |n |ato.
W|th two d|ttoront schodu|os ||ko that, to wr|to a track togothor was vory d|tt|cu|t.
3o attor tho tour wo had wr|t|ng soss|ons. l d|d a |ot at homo, whoro l put many r|tts down and
a |ot ot tho structuros ot tho songs, wh|ch l thon put on a C0. lonn|o, Goozor and v|nny woro at
homo |n Ca||torn|a, so l wont ovor thoro w|th moro than twonty song |doas on th|s C0. lonn|o
had a|so put h|s |doas on a C0 and so had Goozor. v|nny was vory much |nvo|vod, ho sat thoro
tapp|ng away, but ho d|dn't wr|to as such. Wo a|| got togothor |n lonn|o's houso, sat down |n h|s
stud|o and just p|ayod tho d|ttoront C0s. Wo had a dr|nk, casua||y wont through thom a|| and
p|ckod out tho |doas wo |nstant|y ||kod, no mattor whoso thoy woro. Wo put a|| thoso on ono C0,
mado a copy ot that tor ovorybody, and thon wo doc|dod wh|ch onos wo wantod to work on t|rst
ovor tho noxt tow days.
Wo usod ono ot lonn|o's |doas |n |ts ont|roty, wh|ch was 'Atom And Ev||', tho t|rst track on tho
a|bum. And wo usod b|ts ot oach othor |doa. 3omo ot Goozor's r|tts wou|d como ha|tway
through, or somo ot m| no. Wo just swappod thom around, bu||d|ng songs. lt was a groat way ot
work|ng. lnstoad ot hav|ng to como up w|th ovoryth|ng myso|t, ovorybody was comp|oto|y
|nvo|vod |n |t trom day ono, and that ho|pod mo |mmonso|y. Wo wroto about s|x songs th|s way.
1hon wo had a broak to do an Amor|can tour |n August 2008, attor wh|ch wo woro a|| trosh
and rar|ng to go aga|n tor tho noxt batch ot songs. Wo d|d tho samo as botoro: oach ot us had a
wr|t|ng soss|on on h|s own. Wo put our |doas on a C0 aga|n, got back togothor and p|ayod tho
C0s to oach othor and p|ckod somo moro tracks to work on.
Whon wo doc|dod to rocord 'Atom And Ev||' bocauso wo a|| ||kod |t so much, lonn|o was
qu|to honourod. |o had wr|tton tho words and tho mus|c, but ho was vory humb|o. |o sa|d: 'Wo
don't havo to do |t.' And thon ho addod: '3ut |t you ||ko |t . . .'
l sa|d: 'lt's wondortu|. lt wou|d bo a groat song to do!'
Whon wo woro |n lA putt|ng tho songs togothor, l had a ||tt|o stud|o sot up |n tho basomont ot
tho houso l rontod. Vy ong|noor, V|ko Exotor, was stay|ng at tho houso as wo||. Wo'd put tho
|doas togothor at lonn|o's, and attorwards l'd go back homo. 1ho noxt morn|ng l m|ght t|nk|o
around w|th |t and chango tho r|tt. And thon |ator |n tho day, back at lonn|o's, l'd say: 'What
about th|s |doa?' On '3|b|o 3|ack' l had startod ott w|th a r|tt l'd como up w|th back homo |n
Eng|and, and thon lonn|o had changod th|s and that around. 1hon ono morn|ng |n my ||tt|o
basomont stud|o l changod tho r|tt comp|oto|y. lt workod good and |n tho ond '3|b|o 3|ack' turnod
|nto a groat song.
lot a|| tho songs camo trom tho |doas wo a|roady had on our C0s. Wo camo up w|th '1ho
1urn Ot 1ho 3crow', 'lovorwhoro' and 'Eat|ng 1ho Cann|ba|s' at lonn|o's, thoy woro dono trom
scratch r|ght thon and thoro. Wo d|dn't just s|t around ||ston|ng, wo had our |nstrumonts thoro and
d|d a ta|r amount ot wr|t|ng togothor on tho spot. Vost ot tho songs woro group ottorts. Evon tho
onos that woro a|most comp|otod whon prosontod to tho othor band mombors woro changod.
Wo'd movo stutt around and put now b|ts |n and add ||tt|o tw|sts that wou|d mako thom moro
|ntorost|ng. lonn|o m|ght say: 'What about try|ng that b|t thoro? And that b|t?'
And wo'd try |t. lt was good bocauso wo pushod oach othor. lnstoad ot go|ng: 'Eh, a|| r|ght,
that'|| do', |t was: 'Oh yoah, wo can mako that bottor!'
Wo got a|ong roa||y wo|| and wo bocamo vory c|oso, and that ho|pod us wh||o wr|t|ng tho
songs. Wo roa||y homod |n on tho who|o th|ng.
locord|ng 7bo Lovl| Yoo Koow d|dn't tako |ong at a||. Wo'd a|roady gono |nto pro-product|on
|n lA. Onco wo had t|n|shod tho wr|t| ng, wo rohoarsod tho songs. Wo p|ayod thom and tapod
thom and got thom ta|r|y t|ght. Wo had a ||tt|o t|mo ott and thon ovorybody camo ovor to tho
lockt|o|d 3tud|os |n Vonmouth, |n Wa|os, whoro wo just p|ayod tho songs ||vo |n tho stud|o. Wo
put thom a|| down |n throo wooks |nstoad ot tho t|vo wo'd or|g|na||y p|annod. l was thr|||od. 1o bo
ab|o to wr|to ||ko that and got tho pro-product|on dono and thon go |n to p|ay |t ||vo, |t was
abso|uto|y groat.
lt wou|dn't bo r|ght to bo |n tho stud|o w|th no h|-j|nks and th|s t|mo tho drummor on tho
roco|v|ng ond was v|nny. lt was co|d, bo|ng lovombor, but v|nny was as usua| work|ng up a
r|ght swoat and at ovory tako h|s ha|r was soakod so ho'd havo a ha|rdryor noxt to h|s k|t to dry |t
whonovor thoro was a broak. 1ho th|ng packod up and ho got my 1och, V|ko, to ropa|r |t and
was roa||y p|oasod whon |t camo back and tostod |t, no prob|om. Wo took a broak and wh||o ho
was gono l cou|dn't ros|st t||||ng |t up w|th ta|cum powdor. 3ack to work and suro onough, v|nny
p|cks up tho dryor, but th|s t|mo 'poot ', |nstoad ot a b|ack-ha|rod drummor drossod |n a b|ack 1-
sh|rt thoro was now a wh|to appar|t|on! 3o|ng v|nny ho took |t |n good sp|r|t.
l t|nd whon you' ro com|ng up w|th tho r|tts and you'vo got tho r|ght poop|o around you to put
thom togothor, |t can go vory qu|ck|y. 1horo's actua||y no roason why wo cou|dn't havo p|ayod
ovoryth|ng |n ono day, bocauso wo woro do|ng that at rohoarsa|. lt's just that you got |nto that
th|ng whoro you th|nk, wo'|| do a track a day. And thon you'd want to do a gu|tar ovordub, or
lonn|o wou|d want to do an oxtra voca|, and a track wou|d tako a coup|o ot days. l cou|d havo
savod an abso|uto tortuno work|ng th|s tast |n tho past, but you can't work that way w|th
ovorybody. lt takos a corta|n comb|nat|on ot poop|o to bo ab|o to do |t.
7bo Lovl| Yoo Koow was ro|oasod |n Apr|| 2000. l|ston|ng to |t, you can hoar wo woro roa||y
|nsp|rod and had a groat t|mo mak|ng |t, and thorotoro |t was n|co to soo that |t was roco|vod
|ncrod|b|y wo||. 1ho cr|t|cs woro rav|ng, somo ca|||ng | t tho bost mota| a|bum ot tho yoar. ln
Amor|ca |t dobutod at lo. 8 |n tho Bl||booto a|bum charts. l'd boon at |t tor torty yoars and |t
hadn't a|ways boon smooth sa|||ng, but 7bo Lovl| Yoo Koow was anothor h|gh po|nt. l cou|dn't
wa|t to tour tho a|bum and tako tho show on tho road onco aga|n.
Wo startod ott |n 3outh Amor|ca, p|ay|ng b|g crowds that woro a|ways w||d. 1ho Europoan
summor tost|va|s woro roa||y good and Wackon was ospoc|a||y groat. 1ho crowd was tantast|c
and |t was vory wo|| organ|sod. Wo t||mod |t tor tho Nooo Nlgbts - Llvo ot ockoo 0v0 that
camo out |n lovombor 2010. l was vory p|oasod w|th tho way that turnod out and l'm roa||y g|ad
wo d|d |t bocauso |t was lonn|o's |ast t||mod show.
1ho 3on|sphoro |ost|va| |n Knobworth was tho |ast g|g wo p|ayod on th|s s|do ot tho At|ant|c. lt
just p|ssod down w|th ra|n whon wo wa|kod on and |t stoppod whon wo camo ott. 3|oody
marvo||ous that was. 3ut ovon so, that was a good g|g as wo||.
Wo spont August |n Amor|ca, w|th Cohood and Cambr|a support|ng us. On tho 20th wo had
our |ast show at tho |ouso ot 3|uos |n At|ant|c C|ty, low 1orsoy. l was th|nk|ng, why aro wo
p|ay|ng thoro? lt's such a sma|| p|aco! 3ut |t was |ookod on as a n|co ||tt|o g|g to t|n|sh up w|th,
and |t was a|| r|ght. lt had boon such a groat tour that wo d|dn't want |t to ond.
3ut |t d|d.
1ho |ouso ot 3|uos turnod out to bo our |ast g|g ovor.
88
FarowoII to a doar triond
Wh||o wo woro on that |ast tour, lonn|o was suttor|ng qu|ot|y. |o d|d say to mo a tow t|mos: 'l'vo
got a prob|om w|th my stomach. l koop go|ng to tho |oo and l'm tak|ng th|s ant-ac|d stutt.'
l sa|d to h|m many t|mos: 'You want to go and got a chock-up.'
|o'd go: 'Yoah, whon wo t|n|sh l'|| sort myso|t out.'
|o batt|od through |t. |o roa||y d|d g|vo |t a|| unt|| tho ond. |o wasn't wo||, but ho st||| wont on
and d|d tho shows, and ho portormod as usua|. Attor ho t|na||y wont |n to havo a chock-up,
somobody to|d la|ph 3akor what was go|ng on and ho |n turn ca||od mo to to|| mo lonn|o had
stomach cancor. lt was awtu| to hoar that. l ca||od lonn|o and wo stayod |n touch. Attor a wh||o
th|ngs woro |ook|ng up. |o sa|d: 'l'm cop|ng w|th |t. l'm do|ng a b|t bottor.'
|o was vory pos|t|vo towards |t a||, ho had a groat att|tudo. |o wont |nto hosp|ta| and attor a
wh||o thoy sa|d: 'Wo th|nk wo'vo c|oarod |t.'
1h|ngs |ookod groat, so wo arrangod to do anothor tour ot Europo, somoth|ng ||ko twonty g|gs
trom m|d-1uno through to m|d-August 2010. 3ut thon wo got tho torr|b|o nows that tho cancor
had sproad to lonn|o's ||vor. And that was |t, onco that happons |t's vory d|tt|cu|t.
l was ta|k|ng to h|m ono day and l sa|d: 'l'm |ook|ng torward to do|ng th|s tour.'
3ut lonn|o sa|d: 'Wo||, l don't know how l'm go|ng to bo. l don't know |t l'm go|ng to mako |t.'
|o wont downh||| vory qu|ck|y. 1hank goodnoss Goozor and G|or|a woro |n los Ango|os. 1hoy
roa||y stood c|oso to lonn|o and h|s w|to, Wondy, and wont to soo h|m |n hosp|ta| a |ot. Goozor
was thoro r|ght t||| tho ond.
l roa||y d|dn't got to say a propor goodbyo to lonn|o. l'd had tho phono ca|| say|ng ho d|dn't
havo |ong and l sa|d to la|ph: 'Wo had bottor go out. lot's book a t||ght.'
3ut tho noxt ca|| was: 'lt's too |ato.'
lt was that qu|ck. l th|nk tho |ast th|ng l got ott h|m was a toxt. |o d|d stay |n touch toxt|ng mo,
bocauso somot|mos ho cou|dn't ca||. 1a|k|ng was t|r|ng h|m out a |ot, bocauso ho was vory |||.
And ho bravod r|ght through |t.
A coup|o ot days botoro tho tunora| mo and Var|a wont to soo h|m |n tho chapo| ot rost. |o
was |y|ng |n tho cott|n and whon l saw h|m l broko down. 1o soo h|m ||ko that was vory hard. lt
roa||y h|t mo thon that ho was gono.
Whon somobody c|oso to you d|os, you a|ways |ook tor a roason. W|th lonn|o l th|nk |t was a
b|t ot ovoryth|ng, roa||y. l don't th|nk ho got h|mso|t chockod out oar|y onough. |o wou|d put th|ngs
ott and go: 'Oh, l'|| do |t noxt t|mo.'
And h|s oat|ng hab|ts woron't vory good. |o'd otton dr|nk |nstoad ot oat|ng and somo days ho
wou|dn't oat at a||. l don't know how ho d|d that. |o'd a|so oat at pocu||ar hours, bocauso ho had
a roa||y d|ttoront ||tosty|o trom anyono o|so |n tho band. Wo'd bo |n bod attor tho g|g and lonn|o
wou|d stay up and havo a tow dr|nks tor a coup|o ot hours and thon ho'd stop ott at a truck stop
and oat at tour |n tho morn|ng or whatovor t|mo |t wou|d bo. Whon ho d|d oat, ho novor ato
vogotab|os or anyth|ng, ho just d|dn't oat any hoa|thy stutt. As |ong as l'vo known h|m, ho was
a|ways vory th|n. Whon ho was ||| ho |ost wo|ght, and ho roa||y d|dn't havo tho body to |oso
wo|ght. 3ut whon l saw h|m tor that vory |ast t|mo, tho way thoy had dono h|m up, ho |ookod t|no.
|o |ookod as |t ho was as|oop, but soo|ng h|m thoro, |t broko my hoart.
Wo woro go|ng to do tho ||gh vo|tago |ost|va| |n london w|th lonn|o. Ot courso wo
canco||od tho who|o tour, but tho poop|o organ|s|ng that tost|va| to|d us that thoy'd ||ko to do a
tr|buto show to lonn|o. Wo thought, that's groat. Wo had thought ot do|ng that anyway, so th|s
was tho |doa| opportun|ty.
3ut who woro wo go|ng to got to s|ng? G|onn |ughos camo to m|nd, bocauso ho had known
us tor a |ong t|mo and ho was tr|onds w|th lonn|o as wo||. As a mattor ot tact, thoro was a
pr|vato momor|a| tor lonn|o's c|oso tr|onds and G|onn sang 'Catch 1ho la|nbow' thoro |n tho
chapo|, ono ot tho songs by lonn|o's o|d band, la|nbow. 1horo was a momor|a| aga|n tho
to||ow|ng day tor tho tans |n a b|g vonuo, and G|onn sang thoro as wo||. 3o wo thought |t was
appropr|ato to havo h|m on tho show. Wo a|so |nv|tod 1rn lando, who cou|d s|ng tho stutt wo
d|d w|th 0|o roa||y good.
0o|ng that show was vory omot|ona|. 1o go on stago w|th two d|ttoront poop|o, and w|th
Wondy 0|o on tho s|do ot tho stago cry|ng, |t was d|tt|cu|t tor a|| ot us. 3ut wo wantod to do |t tor
h|m.
Wo d|d |t tor lonn|o.
80
Not a right-hand man
1hroughout tho yoars l havo boon vory un|ucky w|th my r|ght hand. ||rst ot a|| l had my t|ngors
choppod ott ot |t, but that was on|y tho bog|nn|ng ot a who|o sor|os ot bad th|ngs that happonod
to |t. ln 100b l had an oporat|on on my r|ght wr|st tor carpa| tunno|. And whon wo d|d tho Ozztost
|n 200b my arm roa||y hurt. l d|d got cort|sono |njoct|ons tor |t, but tho ottocts d|dn't |ast |ong. l
thought, what tho b|oody ho|| |s th|s? l had X-rays and thoy sa|d: 'You'vo brokon throo tondons |n
your r|ght shou|dor. 1hroo ||gamonts.'
1hoy put thom back togothor and |t was t|no unt|| about throo yoars |ator. l was |n low York,
wo woro do|ng a g|g on tho n|ght and l d|d somo oxorc|sos w|th wo|ghts. You'ro supposod to
oxorc|so to strongthon your arms, but l probab|y d|d |t a b|t too much and l hoard th|s sound, ||ko
tho snapp|ng ot an o|ast|c band. l had brokon anothor ono |n tho samo shou|dor. Vy arm was
shak|ng, l cou|dn't contro| |t and l thought, oh, no, |t's gono aga|n!
1hoy gavo mo a cort|sono shot and somo pa|nk|||ors to go on stago and l p|ayod tho g|g that
n|ght, but |t was b|oody pa|ntu|. |ortunato|y |t was tho |ast g|g ot tho tour. l had |t chockod out
back |n Eng|and and tho surgoon sa|d: '1o bo honost |t was |n a stato whon l ropa|rod |t |ast
t|mo. 1hoy woro trayod roa||y bad|y and wo woro |ucky to bo ab|o to ropa|r |t, but l don't th|nk wo
can do |t aga|n. And a|so |t's wrong now. 1ho tondon has shortonod too much to roconnoct.'
Vaybo a top spoc|a||st wou|d'vo boon ab|o to ropa|r |t, but l just |ott |t. lt doos attoct mo whon
l'm ||tt|ng stutt abovo my hoad. lt l havo to put a su|tcaso |n tho ovorhoad |ockor |n a p|ano, tor
|nstanco, that's whon l not|co |t.
l'vo a|so boon b|tton bad|y by lottwo||ors on my r|ght hand and arm. l had tour lottwo||ors tho
t|rst t|mo th|s happonod. About t|vo yoars oar||or wo had ton pups and l gavo a tr|ond ot m|no
ono ot thom. Whon ho wont through a d|vorco ho sa|d: 'Cou|d you |ook attor tho dog tor a wh||o?'
Wo had tho dog back, a b|g b|tch, but my dogs d|dn't got on w|th hor. 1hoy startod attack|ng
hor, wh|ch was protty bruta|. l had to pu|| ono ot my dogs ott hor. ||s co||ar just camo ott |n my
hand and ho d|vod back on hor aga|n.
3||moy!
l cou|dn't got h|m ott and ho was r|pp|ng tho dog apart, so l got ono ot my b|g coats and
jumpod on top ot tho b|tch, covor|ng hor up w|th |t. Vy dog stoppod thon and Var|a managod to
got h|m |ns|do, but tho b|tch was |n shock and as l had hor covorod sho turnod around and 'maw-
maw-maw': |n a mattor ot just a tow soconds sho b|t two t|ngors, tho s|do ot my hand and my
thumb. 3ho obv|ous|y d|dn't know whoro sho was, sho was just |n tota| shock attor my dog had
sot on hor.
l thought, oh, tuck! 3|ood squ|rtod a|| ovor tho p|aco and Var|a shoutod at mo: 'You shou|dn't
havo dono that, you shou|dn't havo r|skod |t!'
l just wont: 'Ou|ck, got somobody to bandago my hand up!'
3oth ot us shout|ng at oach othor, |t was comp|oto|y s|||y. l had to go to b|oody hosp|ta|, ott to
surgory aga|n, to got |t chockod and havo rab|os shots. 1hoy bandagod |t a|| up but thoy cou|dn't
st|tch |t, bocauso thoy sa|d you can't do that w|th b|tos. 3o l had to |oavo |t, just covor |t, put stutt
on |t, and that was |t.
3|oody ho||!
l got b|tton on that arm aga|n on anothor occas|on. Var|a was do| ng somo work tor tho
l3lCA, t|nd|ng a homo tor an|ma|s. Wo had a b|g dog pon |n ono ot our t|o|ds at tho houso and
sho brought a dog back to koop tor a tow days, wh||o wo |ookod tor a now ownor. lt was a |ovo|y
lottwo||or that had boon m|stroatod. Var|a sa|d: '0on't go by tho dog. loavo h|m a|ono tor a
b|t.'
Ot courso l took no not|co.
'A|| r|ght, a|| r|ght.'
l wont to dog: '|o||o, ho||o . . .'
l roachod out to stroko |t and 'wraauw', ho caught my arm. 1hon ho |ookod at mo . . . and b|t
mo aga|n moro or |oss |n tho samo p|aco.
|uck!
1hoy aro so b|oody qu|ck! 1ho dog just grabbod my arm and |t was on|y a warn|ng as wo||. lt
ho had wantod to, ho cou|d havo r|ppod tho b|oody th|ng ott. 3ut ho was tr|ghtonod and ho d|dn't
know mo trom Adam. lt was my own tau|t. l shou|dn't havo bont ovor. You'ro not supposod to do
that. And ho probab|y smo||od my othor dogs on mo as wo||.
lt |mmob|||sod my arm, so |t was ott to tho surgory aga|n, to tho samo doctor. |o must'vo
thought, what tho ho|| |s go|ng on thoro? And onco aga|n |t cou|dn't bo st|tchod. Wo had a tour
com|ng up and l thought, oh, tor Chr|st's sako, just typ|ca|, that |s. Vy arm bothorod mo tor a
good tow wooks, but |t hoa|od ovontua||y.
Var|a had a go at mo: 'You'ro a s|||y buggor tor do|ng that. l to|d you not to!'
3ut l d|d go down to soo tho dog aga|n tho noxt day |n tho pon, just to taco my prob|om. You
can't bo torr|t|od torovor. l was a b|t ovorpowor|ng w|th h|m tho t|rst t|mo, so now l wont to
|ntroduco myso|t propor|y. l oponod tho pon and wont |n thoro w|th a coup|o ot b|scu|ts. |o stood
thoro |ook|ng and l thought, don't go tor mo aga|n, p|oaso. 3ut ho was a|| r|ght, ho was groat attor
that. Wo had h|m tor about a wook, unt|| wo tound h|m a homo.
|o's probab|y k|||od tho now ownor by now.
1ho worst th|ng that happonod to my hand |s tho cart||ago d| s|ntograt|ng |n tho thumb jo|nt. l
had a|roady had prob|oms w|th that jo|nt tor a coup|o ot yoars. l had storo|d |njoct|ons, but thoy
woro just st|ck|ng tho nood|o |n roundabouts and somo ot |t d|dn't h|t tho r|ght spot. Evontua||y l
hoard ot th|s p|aco |n 3|rm|ngham ca||od 1ho 1o|nt C||n|c. 1h|s doctor ca||od Anna Voon |s a
spoc|a||st |n hands. 3ho |njoctod mo undor X-ray, so that sho cou|d soo oxact|y whoro tho nood|o
wont |n, wh|ch was br||||ant. l had storo|ds t|rst, and thon l tr|od th|s now stutt, ||ko a jo|| that thoy
uso on knoo jo|nts. lt |ookod ||ko g|uo and l had to havo throo |njoct|ons |n botwoon my jo|nts ovor
tho courso ot a wook. lt bas|ca||y buttorod tho jo|nt ||ko an art|t|c|a| cart||ago and stoppod tho
bonos trom rubb|ng aga|nst oach othor. lt was a|| r|ght but |t st||| d|dn't work propor|y. Vy hand
swo||od up trom a|| tho p|ay|ng and l had to put |co on |t and tako ant|-|nt|ammator|os and
pa|nk|||ors a|| tho t|mo.
Edd|o van |a|on had prob|oms w|th tho jo|nts |n h|s hand as wo|| and ho saw th|s doctor |n
Gormany, 0r lotor Woh||ng trom 0sso|dort, who doos stom co|| troatmont. lt's tho on|y p|aco
that doos th|s k|nd ot troatmont. Edd|o to|d mo |t roa||y ho|pod h|m, so l wont to soo th|s chap. l
d|d tour hours ot a|| d|ttoront sorts ot X-rays. 1hoy chockod ovoryth|ng bocauso thoy can't troat
you |t you havo any othor k|nd ot prob|om. On tho X-ray thoy tound a wh|to mark |n my jo|nt and
thoy sa|d: 'l don't th|nk wo aro go|ng to bo ab|o to do th|s. lt that's what wo th|nk |t |s, you aro
go|ng to bo on ant|b|ot|cs tor s|x months.'
l thought, oh, tor Chr|st's sako, and sa|d: 'What do you th|nk |t |s?'
'Wo th|nk |t's t|u|d |n tho jo|nt.'
1hoy chockod aga|n and tound a ho|o |n my jo|nt whoro ono ot tho doctors had at somo po|nt
|njoctod a storo|d r|ght |nto tho bono. 1hat's why l was gott|ng a swo|||ng |n my hand. 1hoy sa|d:
'low that wo know what |t |s wo can actua||y go ahoad w|th tho procoduro.'
1hoy took b|ood trom my arm, sont that to tho |ab ovorn|ght and grow now cart||ago trom |t.
1hon, a day or two |ator, thoy |njoctod |t back |nto mo whorovor |t was noodod. 1ho doctor
changod h|s surg|ca| g|ovos about throo t|mos |n tho courso ot tho t|vo m|nutos |t took to g|vo mo
tho |njoct|ons: that's how c|oan thoy woro. l had to bo thoro at tho c|| n|c tor a wook. Go |n tho
morn|ng, havo tho |njoct|ons, and thon back to tho hoto|. 1hoy took qu|to a tow b|g t||os ot b|ood
|n caso l noodod a top-up |ator, wh|ch l d|d. 1hoy grow tho co||s and l wont |n ovory day tor that
wook and tho d|ttoronco was amaz|ng. lt roa||y, roa||y ho|pod. l wasn't gott|ng any pa|n any moro.
l d|d havo to go back to soo 0r Woh||ng aga|n a coup|o ot months |ator, bocauso tho noxt jo|nt
up and a|so my |ott hand woro p|ay|ng up. l had a tu|| body scan as wo|| to soo |t thoro woro any
prob|oms anywhoro o|so. 1horo was just a ||tt|o b|t at tho baso ot my sp|no and at tho top ot my
nock, |n botwoon tho nock jo|nts, but that was just norma| woar and toar.
A|| thoso gu|tar p|ayors, ||ko 1|mmy lago and loto 1ownshond, usod to jump up and down
and ro|| on tho t|oor on tho|r knoos. Yoars |ator you roa||y too| that. l|ko tootba||ors, thoy got thoso
jo|nt prob|oms bocauso ot a|| tho abuso. l just stood thoro w|th tho gu|tar tor torty yoars, but
you'ro stand|ng tunny whon you'ro p|ay|ng gu|tar, so a|| that gradua| woar and toar and putt|ng
moro wo|ght on ono |og and a|| that causod back prob|oms tor mo. 0r Woh||ng gavo mo
|njoct|ons |n my back as wo|| and attor about tour days ot thoso l novor had anothor prob|om
thoro aga|n. A|| tho pa|n d|sappoarod. lt's groat.
1ho |ast t|mo l saw h|m, ho sa|d: 'lt shou|d bo grow|ng a|| r|ght now.'
1hoy d|dn't ovon X-ray |t to chock |t, ho just knows that |t's grow|ng now. |o sa|d to koop h|m
updatod about what's go|ng on. lt doos hurt a b|t |n corta|n p|acos now, but |t's noth|ng at a|| ||ko
|t was. Whon l'm p|ay|ng tor a b|t, l torgot about |t. 3|nco l'vo had th|s stom co|| troatmont l havon't
to|t tho nood to tako any pa|nk|||ors or anyth|ng. lt's just boon br||||ant.
Unt|| somoth|ng o|so goos . . .
00
A good Iaco
l wou|d vory much ||ko to do somoth|ng aga|n w|th Goozor and v|nn|o and anothor s|ngor, but, ot
courso, |t wo do start somoth|ng now |t wou|d bo undor a d|ttoront namo. |oavon 8 |o|| was vory
popu|ar and |t took up a|| ot our t|mo, but ovon attor |t ondod l stayod vory busy wr|t|ng and
gott|ng |nvo|vod w|th a|| sorts ot projocts. Ono th|ng that was a |ot ot tun to do was tho 'Out Ot Vy
V|nd' char|ty s|ng|o w|th lan G| ||an. lt was a quartor ot a contury ago that wo rocordod our t|rst
char|ty s|ng|o, '3moko On 1ho Wator', |n a|d ot Armon|an oarthquako v|ct|ms. lt was a b|g th|ng
w|th just about ovorybody |nvo|vod, ||ko 3r|an Vay, 3ryan Adams, l|tch|o 3|ackmoro and 0av|d
G||mour. Wo d|d a v|doo ot |t and ra|sod a |ot ot monoy. And thon, |n 2000, twonty-t|vo yoars
|ator, lros|dont 3orzh 3args|an ot Armon|a got |n touch. |o wantod to g|vo an award tor what
wo'd dono back thon to lan G|||an, myso|t and koyboard p|ayor Goott 0ownos.
Wo wont to Armon|a and thoy showod us what thoy had bu||t w|th tho monoy trom '3moko On
1ho Wator'. Wo had d|nnor w|th lr|mo V|n|stor 1|gran 3args|an and tho 3r|t|sh Ambassador
Char|os lonsda|o and thoy woro a|| roa||y n|co. Wo woro thoro tor a tow days and d|d a coup|o ot
pross contoroncos. At ono ot thoso wo startod ta|k| ng about maybo do|ng somoth|ng o|so to
ra|so moro monoy, bocauso, whon thoy showod us around, wo saw th|s mus|c schoo| wh|ch was
just awtu|. lt was ||ko a t|n shod, a|| co|d and damp, so wo thought, wo'vo got to do somoth|ng
about th|s. On tho t||ght back lan and l d|scussod wr|t|ng a s|ng|o to ra|so moro monoy. 1ho t|rst
th|ng wo d|d whon wo got back homo was sond thom a |ot ot gu|tars and drums and whatovor.
Wo a|so wroto and ro|oasod a coup|o ot songs to ho|p bu||d a now schoo|, that's what 'Out Ot Vy
V|nd' was a|| about.
||rst lan and myso|t got togothor at my houso. l wroto tho mus|c and ho d|d tho |yr|cs. Wo
wantod somo othor poop|o to p|ay on |t, and lan mont|onod 1on lord. l sa|d: 'Yoah, that wou|d bo
groat!'
l suggostod l|cko Vc3ra|n, and thon wo a|so got 1ason lowstod on tho bass and l|ndo
l|ndstrm on gu|tar. lt workod out groat, and wo had a tantast|c t|mo rocord|ng |t. 1ho song
turnod out roa||y wo|| and wo d|d ra|so a ta|r amount ot monoy onco aga|n. And wo had such a
good t|mo do|ng th|s that wo'vo actua||y ta|kod about mak|ng |t |nto a propor band.
3ut whatovor l do, 3|ack 3abbath w||| a|ways bo thoro ono way or anothor. On tho day ot
lonn|o's tunora| mo and Var|a had d|nnor w|th Edd|o van |a|on and h|s w|to. 1ho phono rang. l
p|ckod |t up to answor |t w|thout |ook|ng at tho d|sp|ay t|rst, and |t was 3haron Osbourno.
3||moy!
l hadn't spokon to hor tor ovor a yoar. 3ho sa|d: 'Oh, l'vo got tho wrong numbor. l thought |t
was anothor 1ony.'
Whon sho roa||sod |t was mo, sho sa|d sho was sorry to hoar about lonn|o. 1hon sho wont:
'W||| you ca|| Ozzy? You must spoak to Ozzy!'
l ca||od h|m a tow days |ator. |o sa|d: 'l'd ||ko to got togothor and havo a chat.'
l sa|d: 'Wo||, l'|| bo back |n Eng|and |n a coup|o ot days.'
'Good. l'm com|ng ovor to Eng|and as wo||, |ot's soo oach othor thon.'
Wo d|dn't actua||y got togothor thon, but wo'vo ca||od oach othor qu|to a |ot. 1ho |doa tor a now
3|ack 3abbath a|bum had boon t|oat|ng around botwoon our d|ttoront managomonts tor a wh||o,
and wo'vo boon ta|k|ng about |t moro and moro. lt's st||| not sot |n stono, but l ta|kod to Ozzy
towards tho ond ot 2010, and ho wont: 'l'm roa||y |ook|ng torward to do|ng somoth|ng!'
l actua||y wroto ono or two songs tor 3abbath, and thoro's a |ot moro com|ng up. 3ut you novor
know. 3y tho t|mo you road th|s wo m|ght bo |n a stud|o rocord|ng, or wo m|ght ovon havo an
a|bum |n tho shops a|roady. Or maybo noth|ng w||| havo como ot |t and |t'|| novor happon. And wo
m|ght bo p|ann|ng anothor tour, or wo m|ght novor sharo a stago aga|n.
Wr|t|ng a|| th|s, my story, has obv|ous|y g|von mo a |ot ot t|mo to rot|oct on my ||to. lt has boon a
b|t ||ko ovorybody o|so's l supposo: up and down. l'vo |ovod tho d|ttoront turns ovor tho yoars,
good and bad. You |oarn trom thom. l'vo got no roa| comp|a|nts, a|though |t wou|d havo boon
n|co to havo had no hass|os w|th tho bus|noss s|do ot th|ngs, such as w|th managomont and
band mombors. You'vo got to havo thoso as wo||, l supposo. 1hoso th|ngs aro sont to try us. 3ut
whon l |ook around tho wor|d now and soo a|| tho th|ngs that aro happon|ng to poop|o, l'vo had a
good ||to |n compar|son to most ovorybody out thoro.
l'm roa||y proud ot what wo'vo ach|ovod. Wo spawnod a who|o now gonorat|on ot mus|c, ot
p|ayors. You can ovon say that our mus|c has savod a tow ||vos. 1udg|ng by tho |ottors wo'vo had
trom poop|o wr|t|ng: 'W|thout you . . .', poop|o who m|ght havo wantod to comm|t su|c|do or do
whatovor woro |t not tor tho mus|c, thoro's a|ways somobody you'vo ho|pod out thoro. lt's
oxtromo|y roward|ng.
1horo was a t|mo whon a|| ot tho 3rumm|o bands to|t tho c|ty d|dn't roa||y caro much about us
so |t was groat whon a|| ot a suddon tho poop|o that run 3road 3troot doc|dod to honour tho
c|ty's tamous ros|donts. 3o |t camo to bo that |n lovombor 2008 wh||o rocord|ng '1ho 0ov|| You
Know' wo a|| took t|mo out so l cou|d roco|vo my star on tho c|ty's Wa|k ot |amo! lt was b|ttor|y
co|d, snow|ng, but ovon so a groat crowd turnod up and V|ko O||oy and h|s toam d|d a groat job
w|th bands p|ay|ng and Korrang lad|o host|ng tho ovont. lt was good to jo|n Ozzy and othor
tamous tr|onds ||ko 1aspor Carrott, and rocont|y l got |nvo|vod |n 3ov 3ovan's |nduct|on as wo||.
1ho |atost ovont |n th|s chango ot hoart trom tho ostab||shmont |s tho |omo Ot Vota| oxh|b|t|on,
spoc|t|ca||y honour|ng a|| ot tho hoavy bands that camo trom tho Wost V|d|ands, |nc|ud|ng 1udas
lr|ost and lod Zoppo||n. l novor thought that wou|d happon!
And now l don't havo to go out to provo anyth|ng any moro, to anybody. Yoars ago l was try|ng
to provo to poop|o that l cou|d do th|s and do that, but nowadays l roa||y onjoy what l do, and l
on|y nood to provo to myso|t that l can do th|ngs.
Ot courso, l havo rogrots - a |ot ot thom. 3ut l th|nk w|thout that l wou|dn't havo |oarnod
anyth|ng. You can't havo |t a|| your own way a|| tho t|mo, you'vo got to havo tho bad s|do ot ||to as
wo||, tho bad th|ngs that happon to you. 3ut you doa| w|th thom.
l probab|y upsot somo poop|o a|ong tho way, what w|th a|| tho marr|agos and a|| tho th|ngs that
havo happonod ovor tho yoars. lt's a|| part ot ||to. |opotu||y, tho poop|o l'vo upsot havo gono on
to bottor th|ngs.
Vy daughtor 1on| amazos mo. Attor what sho's boon through, sho's so out tront now! 1on|
||vos |n ||n|and. 3ho movod |n w|th hor boytr|ond, l|ndo. |o's tho gu|tar p|ayor |n a band ca||od
|lV and thoy aro mad|y |n |ovo. |o's a |ovo|y |ad and a vory good p|ayor. |o's vory qu|ot and sho
just won't shut up, but thoy'ro vory happy togothor. 1hanktu||y, thoy como ovor otton, so Var|a and
mo got to soo thom a |ot.
A|| l'm hop|ng tor thoso days |s that l'm st||| horo |n a tow yoars. l onjoy whoro l'm at now, l roa||y
do. lt's a good p|aco. l'vo got a good homo ||to and a good tam||y. And l'm tortunato bocauso l'm
st||| ab|o to croato and to go out and p|ay mus|c, and havo somo ot tho bost tr|onds on tho p|anot.
3ut whatovor happons, thoro's ono th|ng l'm abso|uto|y suro about.
l w||| novor sot t|ro to 3||| Ward aga|n.
AcknowIodgomonta
1. 1. lammors, tor tho ond|oss amount ot ||ston|ng and pat|onco.

Vy managors Ernost Chapman and la|ph 3akor, tor tho|r hard work, tr|ondsh|p, dod|cat|on and
|oya|ty.

Ozzy, Goozor and 3|||, thoro wou|dn't bo a book w|thout you. 1hrough a|| tho ups and downs
wo'vo managod to stay tr|onds and hopotu||y wo'|| havo many moro good t|mos togothor.

Vy tans and supportors, thanks so much tor bo|ng thoro.

3r|an Vay, Edd|o van |a|on and 1amos |ott|o|d, tor tho k|nd words.

1ho two V|ko's, C|omont and Exotor, and ond|oss amounts ot crow mombors ovor tho yoars.

Vy c|osost tr|onds (you know who you aro).

lovo you a||!

1ony
|ndox
A33A
Abrahams, V|ck
AC/0C
Ackr|||, lh||
Adams, 3r|an
Aorosm|th
A|r 3upp|y
A|bort (schoo|tr|ond)
A|coho||cs Anonymous
A||, Vuhammad
A||om, 1om
Andorson, lan
Anno, lr|ncoss
Anso|mo, lh||
App|co, v|nny
drumm|ng sty|o
and |oavon and |o||
rojo|ns band
and roun|ons
Ardon, 0av|d
Ardon, 0on
arrost and |mpr|sonmont
managos 3abbath
and Boto Agolo covor
Ardon, 3haron, soo Osbourno,
3haron
Armon|a
Aronott, Konny
Art
Astbury, lan
Aston
Aston gang
astra| travo|||ng
Axon, Vart|na
3ad Company
3a|n, lodgor
3akor, la|ph
3andy logs
3ant|o|d, lh||
3assoy, 3h|r|oy
3att|o Abboy
3oach 3oys, 1ho
3oast|o 3oys, 1ho
3oat|os, 1ho
3ock, 1ott
3oo Goos, 1ho
3o|ch
3orry, Chuck
3otty |ord C||n|c
3ovan, 3ov
3|rch, Vart|n
3|rds 8 1ho 3oos, 1ho
b|ack mag|c
3|ack Oak Arkansas
3|ack 3abbath
awards
and Can Am stud|o
and crossos
down-tunod sound
t|rst a|bum
t|rst Amor|can tour
t|rst Europoan tours
tormat|on
and koyboards
|ast stud|o a|bum
l|vo A|d roun|on
managomont
and monoy
tho namo
and tho occu|t
roun|ons
3tonohongo sot
3|ack 3abbath a|bums
B|ock 5obbotb
B|ock 5obbotb Vo| 4
Boto Agolo
Ctoss Potposos
Lobomoolzot
7bo Llo Yoots
7bo Etotoo| loo|
lotbloooo
looo|oss Ctoss
loovoo ooo lo||
Llvo ot Lost
Llvo Evl|
Vostot o Roo|lty
Vob Ro|os
Novot 5oy Llo!
Potooolo
Post Llvos
Roooloo
5obbotb B|oooy 5obbotb
5obotogo
5ovootb 5tot
7ocbolco| Ecstosy
7YR
B|ock 5obbotb (t||m)
3|ack 3abbath (racohorso)
3|ack 3abbath tracks
'Attor A|| (1ho 0oad)'
'Attor |orovor'
'Anno Vund|'
'3oh|nd 1ho Wa|| Ot 3|oop'
'3|ack 3abbath'
'3ur|od A||vo'
'Card|na| 3|n'
'Changos'
'Ch||dron Ot 1ho Gravo'
'Ch||dron Ot 1ho 3oa'
'Computor God'
'0angor Zono'
'1ho 0ov|| You Know'
'0|o Young'
'0|rty Woman'
'0|sturb|ng 1ho lr|ost'
'E|octr|c |unora|'
'Embryo'
'Ev|| Eyo'
'Ev|| Woman'
'Eyo Ot 1ho 3torm'
'|a|r|os Woar 3oots'
'|oo|s Good 1o Vo'
'||utt '
'|X'
'1ho |and 1hat locks 1ho Crad|o'
'A |ard load'
'|oad|oss Cross'
'|oavon and |o||'
'|o|o ln 1ho 3ky'
'|ot l|no'
'lnto 1ho vo|d'
'lron Van'
'lt's A|r|ght'
'1un|or's Eyos'
'Koop lt Warm'
'lady Ev||
'laguna 3unr|so'
'lord Ot 1h|s Wor|d'
'Voga|oman|a'
'1ho Vob lu|os'
'A lat|ona| Acrobat'
'loon Kn|ghts'
'lovor 3ay 0|o'
'l.l.3.'
'l|ghtmaro'
'l|ghtw|ng'
'lo 3trangor 1o lovo'
'lo Way Out'
'Orch|d'
'Ovor 1o You'
'larad|so C|ty'
'larano|d'
'lsycho Van'
'3abbath 3|oody 3abbath'
'1ho 3abbath 3tonos'
'3abbra Cadabra'
'3car|ot l|mporno|'
'3o|||ng Vy 3ou|'
'3ovonth 3tar'
'1ho 3h|n|ng'
'3|gn Ot 1ho 3outhorn Cross'
'3|oop|ng v|||ago'
'3nowb||nd'
'3o||tudo'
'3p|ra| Arch|toct'
'3tar ot lnd|a'
'3uportzar'
'3woot loat '
'3w|ng|ng 1ho Cha|n'
'3ympton Ot 1ho Un|vorso'
'1ho 1hr||| Ot lt A||'
'1|mo Vach|no'
'1urn 1o 3tono'
'1urn Up 1ho l|ght'
'War l|gs'
'Warn|ng'
'Whon 0oath Ca||s'
'W|ckod Wor|d'
'Who Aro You?'
'1ho W|zard'
'Work 1||| 0oath'
'1ho Wr|t'
'Zoro 1ho |oro'
3|ackmoro, l|tch|o
3|a|r, l|nda
3|a|r, 1ony
3|uo Vurdor
3|uo Oystor Cu|t
3ody Count
3o|ton, V|chao|
3onham, 1ohn
3onham, lat
3ord|n, V|ko
3oston
3ranson, l|chard
3rownsv|||o 3tat|on
3uck|ngham la|aco
3ush, Goorgo
3ut|or, Goozor
and band tons|ons
and 3|ack 3abbath namo
and 0ov|| s|gn
and Earth
and t|rst Europoan tours
gu|tar sound
and |oavon and |o||
|oavos and rojo|ns band
and lod Zoppo||n
||tosty|o and oscapados
and Vods and lockors
and tho occu|t
and rocord|ng
rojo|ns band
and roun|ons
and lonn|o's doath
and song-wr|t|ng
and 3tonohongo sot
3ut|or, G|or|a
Ca||torn|a 1am
Camoron, Vatt
Campbo||, lh||
Can Am stud|o
Car||s|o
Car|ton, 3orgoant
Carno, |rod
Carrott, 1aspor
cars
Cathodra|
Co|ador
Chap||n, Char||o
Chapman, A|bort
Chapman, Ernost
Chapman, logor
Chapman Wh|tnoy 3trootwa|kors
Char|os, lr|nco
Ch|ckon 3hack
Ch||dron ln lood
Ch|mos, 1orry
Church ot 3atan
C|apton, Er|c
C|ash, 1ho
C|oarwo|| Cast|o
C|omont, V|ko
Cohood 8 Cambr|a
Co|||ns, lh||
Coopor, A||co
Copo|and, V||os
Cop|oy, Gordon
Cop|oy, 1|mmy
Corgan, 3|||y
Corn|ck, G|onn
Costa Vosa g|gs
Cott|o, larry
Covorda|o, 0av|d
Crosby, 0on|so
crossos
Crow|oy, A|o|stor
Crows, 1ho
Cu|t, 1ho
Cunn|gan, Ern|o
Curt|s, 1ony
Lol|y Vol|
0a|s|oy, 3ob
0o Car|o, loo
0o Car|o, Yvonno
0oop lurp|o
0op soss|ons
'0ov||'s |ntorva|'
0|o, lonn|o 1amos
h|s doath
and 0ov|| s|gn
and |oavon and |o||
jo|ns band
|oavos band
and lod Zoppo||n
||tosty|o and oscapados
rojo|ns band
and s|ng|ng
so|o caroor
and song-wr|t|ng
0|o, Wondy
0|o
0|ro 3tra|ts
0|v|no locords
0onato, 0av|d
0own
0ownos, Goott
0own|ng, 1ohn
0ra|n 31|
0udgoon, Gus
0upont, 1ohn
Eag|os, 1ho
Earth 3|uos 3and
Earth
bocomos 3|ack 3abbath
Edmunds, 0avo
E||zaboth ll, Ouoon
ElO
Ell
Ep|c locords
Epsto|n, 3r|an
Essox Vus|c
Exotor, V|ko
Exotclst, 7bo
|a|thtu||, Var|anno
|oar |actory
|onho|t, 1ott
||o|ds ot lock
||j|
||ootwood Vac
|ontana locords
|oo ||ghtors
|ord, l|ta
|orstor, Vark
|rank|o (|odgor)
|roo
|rooman, A|an
|rost, 0av|d
Goo, 1ohn
Gotton locords
ghosts and appar|t|ons
G|bb, Andy
G|bb, 3arry
G|||an, lan
h|s boat
and 'Out Ot Vy V|nd'
and '3moko On 1ho Wator'
and song-wr|t|ng
G|||on, lay
G||mour, 0av|d
G|r|schoo|
G||xman, 1ott
Godspood
Go|dsto|n, 0oug
go|t
Gott|, 1ohn
Grant, lotor
Groat lgaruawah|a tost|va|
Groh|, 0avo
group|os
Grubor, Cra|g
gu|tar str|ngs
Guns l' losos
|a|nos, lorman
|a|tord, lob
|a||, 1ony
|amburg
|ammorsm|th Odoon
|ard lock Cato
|arr|s, 0avo
|arr|son, V|ko
|arry, lr|nco
|oart
|oavon and |o||
7bo Lovl| Yoo Koow
|oavon and |o|| tracks
'Atom And Ev||'
'3|b|o 3|ack'
'1ho 0ov|| Cr|od'
'Ear ln 1ho Wa||'
'Eat|ng 1ho Cann|ba|s'
'lovorwhoro'
'3hadow Ot 1ho W|nd'
'1urn Ot 1ho 3crow'
loovy Voto|
|o||'s Ango|s
|omm|ngs, 0av|d
|ondr|x, 1|m|
|onry's 3|uos |ouso
|ott|o|d, 1amos
|||dobrandt, Grog
|lV
||soman, 1ohn
||t|or, Ado|t
|o||and, 0avo
|o||y, 3uddy
|o||ywood 3ow|
|omo ot Vota| oxh|b|t|on
horror t||ms
|ughos, G|onn
and 0op soss|ons
and losoo
lco 1
ldo|, 3|||y
lomm|, Anthony |rank
lomm|, 1on|
lomm|, 1ony
acc|dont and gu|tar sty|o
arrost |n Ca||torn|a
and awards
band |oador
and band tons|ons
carpa| tunno| oporat|on
and cars
ch||dhood and tam||y
and 'doad' g|r|
0op soss|ons and a|bum
and dogs
and Earth
oducat|on
and h|s tathor
t|rst bands
tood po|son|ng
losoo a|bum
gu|tar so|os
hand prob|oms
lomml a|bum
and 1othro 1u||
jobs
marr|ago to Var|a
marr|ago to Vo||nda
marr|ago to 3usan
marr|ago to va|ory
and monoy
and Vytho|ogy
and Ozzy's doparturo
and pract|ca| jokos
and rocord|ng
and song-wr|t|ng
and squattors
stops drugs
and tho supornatura|
and 1ll
and 1on|
and '1ony's tw|n'
llA bomb|ngs
lron Va|don
ll3 locords
1ackson, V|chao|
1aggor, V|ck
1amos Gang
1osos Cbtlst 5opotstot
1ot locords
1othro 1u||
1ohn lau| ll, lopo
1onos, 3r|an
1onos, 1om
1udas lr|ost
Kar|ott, 3or|s
Koo|, lon
Kottoog! magaz|no
K||worth |ouso hoto|
K|ngstand|ng
K|nks, 1ho
K|ss
la|no, |rank|o
lando, 1rn
lano, 3r|an
Lotty Klog 5bow
lauro|, 3tan
lavoy, Anton
lod Zoppo||n
lommy
lonnon, 1ohn
lottorman, 0av|d
l|ndo, 1rn
l|ndstrm, l|ndo
l|vo A|d
||vo rocord|ngs
london lh||harmon|c Cho|r
lonsda|o, Char|os
lord, 1on
luko
lynton, Von|ca
VcAu||tto, K|m
Vc3ra|n, l|cko
VcCartnoy, lau|
Vach|no |oad
Vack, lo|nho|d
Vad|son 3quaro Gardon
Vadonna
Va|ono, W|||
Vanor, 1ho
Vanson, Var||yn
Vap|odurham Watorm|||
Var|otto, 3ob
Var|oy, 3ob
Varquoo c|ub
Varsha||, lo||
Vart|n, 1ony
and luss|an g|g
Vasos, lo|t
Vastorp|an
Vay, 3r|an
Voohan, latr|ck
broak w|th 3abbath
and 1ohn 0upont
and product|on crod|ts
rosumos managomont
Vogadoth
Vo||nda (socond w|to)
Vorod|th, A|an
Vorod|th, l|nda
Vorod|th, Vargaroth
Vota|||ca
Vox|co
m|dgots
V|tcho||, |rank
V|tcho||, V|tch
Vods and lockors
monks
Vonmouth
Vontana, 1ony
Voody 3|uos, 1ho
Voon, 0r Anna
Voon, Ko|th
Vooro, Gary
Vorr|s, lo||
Votrhoad
Vounta|n
Vovo, 1ho
Vurray, lo||
mus|ca| |nstrumonts
accord|on
bagp|pos
bongos
t|uto
gu|tars
harp
koyboards
Vo||otron
Voog synthos|sor
p|ano
s|tar
soo o|so orchostras
mus|ca| sty|os
grungo
hoavy mota|
h|p hop
progross|vo mota|
punk
Vyponga tost|va|
Vytho|ogy
lEV3
Now Yotk 7lmos
lowstod, 1ason
lowton-1ohn, O||v|a
l|cho||s, Goott
and 1orsoy hoto| |nc|dont
jo|ns band
and squattors |nc|dont
and 1ll
Nlgbtmoto oo E|m 5ttoot
lugont, 1od
lu|sanco, 3obby
O||oy, V|ko
Ono, Yoko
orchostras
Osbourno, 1ack
Osbourno, Ko||y
Osbourno, Ozzy
and Ardon wr|t
and awards
and 3|ack 3abbath namo
Costa Vosa g|gs
and crossos
and drugs
and Earth
oducat|on
t|rst Europoan tours
and Go|don 1ub||oo g|g
|oavos band
||tosty|o and oscapados
and l|nda 3|a|r
and 7bo Vob Ro|os covor
quad b|ko acc|dont
and rocord|ng
and rohab
and roun|ons
and s|ng|ng
so|o caroor
and song-wr|t|ng
Osbourno, 3haron (noo Ardon)
and Go|don 1ub||oo g|g
and lomml a|bum
and 3abbath roun|ons
Osbootoos, 7bo
lago, 1|mmy
la||ad|no, l|no
lantora
lountnoy, V|chao|
loar|man, 3andy
loo|, 1ohn
logg, lat
lotor 8 Gordon
lh||||ps, 1|mmy
l|cato 3tr|ngs
l|no, W||t
l|ant, lobort
l|atz, 0av|d
lo|ka 1u|k 3|uos 3and, 1ho
lowo||, Cozy
h|s doath
drumm|ng sty|o
and luss|an g|g
lros|oy, E|v|s
pyrotochn|cs
Ouartz
Ouoon
Ouoonsrcho
ladtord
la|nbow
lammsto|n
lamonos, 1ho
lampa, lobsang
laro 3rood
lod Caps, 1ho
rotoronco tonos
rohab
lo|nhardt, 0jango
lost, 1ho
l|chard, C||tt
l|chards, Ko|th
l|chardson, 3|r la|ph
Rock 5cboo|
lock|n' Chovro|ots, 1ho
lod|n, Augusto
logors, lau|
lo|||ng 3tonos, 1ho
Ro||log 5tooos Rock ooo Ro|| Cltcos
lo|||ns, |onry
lond|no|||, 3obby
loth, 0av|d loo
lub|n, l|ck
luss|a
3anctuary locords
3andors, A|ox
3args|an, 3orzh
5ototooy Rock 5bow, 7bo
3avoy 3rown
3cott, 3on
3oogor, 3ob
3hadows, 1ho
3hattor, lau|
3||vor 3u||ot 3and
3|mmons, Gono
3|mpson, 1|m
3|ngor, Er|c
3jho|m, Var|a
3kunk Anans|o
3|ayor
3m|th, Chr|s
3m|th, 1ac|yn
snakos
3nowdon, 3usan
3ou|t|y
sound ottocts
3outh Atr|ca
3poakoasy
3p|na| 1ap
3p|tz, 0avo
3pock
3pooky 1ooth
stago tr|ght
5tot ots
3tarr, l|ngo
3tatus Ouo
3too|o, lotor
3towart, lod
3trang|ors, 1ho
3truzan, 0row
3wansong |abo|
3ykos, 1ohn
3ystom ot a 0own
1aj Vaha|
1angyo, 0avo
1ank|an, 3orj
1on Yoars Attor
1hra||, lat
1ll
1|ttonhurst lark
1op
7op Ooot
7op o tbo Pops
1ownshond, loto
1roo, lh||
1sangar|dos, Chr|s
1urnor, 1|na
1y|or, 3onn|o
1ypo O logat|vo
U340
UK Vus|c |a|| ot |amo
U|r|ch, lars
va|ory (th|rd w|to)
van |a|on, Edd|o
van |a|on
vort|go locords
v|ncont, Gono
Wackon tost|va|
Wakoman, Adam
Wakoman, l|ck
Wa|kor, 0avo
Wa|sh, 1oo
Ward, 3|||
and cars
and dr|nk|ng
drumm|ng sty|o
and Earth
t|rst bands
t|rst Europoan tours
and ghosts
ha|rsty|o
hoart attack
and |oavon and |o||
|oavos and rojo|ns band
and lod Zoppo||n
||tosty|o and oscapados
and Ozzy's doparturo
and roun|ons
and 5obotogo s|oovo
sot on t|ro
and song-wr|t|ng
Ward, 1|m
Warnor 3ros.
Washwood |oath
oyoo`s ot|o
Woodon, 3ort
Woh||ng, 0r lotor
Wost, los||o
Whadd|oy, 0avo
Wh|tosnako
Who, 1ho
bo oots to Bo o Vl||looolto
W||d 1urkoy
W||||am, lr|nco
W|ntor, Edgar
W|ntor, 1ohnny
Wondor, 3tov|o
Woodrotto, Gora|d '1ozz'
Woodward, lon
Wr|ght, 3|mon
Wy|do, Zakk
Wyman, 3|||
Yardb|rds, 1ho
Yard|oy's mus|c shop
Yos
Young, Angus
Young, Va|co|m
Zappa, |rank
Zom|yano
Zomb|o, lob
3orn |n tho m|d|ands, 1ony lomm| |s tho co-tound| ng mombor ot 3|ack 3abbath, and croator ot
tho sound that camo to bo known as |oavy Vota|, ono ot tho most ondur|ng and |mportant
3r|t|sh contr|but|ons to popu|ar mus|c.
Copyr|ght t 2011 by 1ony lomm|

l| cturo Crod|ts
Courtosyot tho author: 1 - 1b, 17 - 20, 28 - 80, 82 - 84
t Koos 3aars: 10
t loss |a|t|n: 21, 22, 8b, 80
t 1as 3ans|: 81

A|| r|ghts rosorvod. lo part ot th|s pub||cat|on may bo roproducod, storod |n a rotr|ova| systom, or transm|ttod, |n any torm
or by any moans, o|octron|c, mochan|ca|, photocopy|ng, rocord|ng, or othorw|so, w|thout tho pr|or wr|tton porm|ss|on ot
tho pub||shor. |or |ntormat|on, addross 0a Capo lross, 11 Cambr|dgo Contor, Cambr|dgo, VA 02142.

Cata|og|ng-|n-lub||cat|on data tor th|s book |s ava||ab|o trom tho l|brary ot Congross.

ol33l : 078-0-800-820b4-0
ol33l : 078-0-800-820b4-0
l|brary ot Congross Contro| lumbor: 201108710b

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